Leonardo's Last Supper and Casa degli Atellani Vineyard Tour
Milan, Italy
Trip Type: Cultural Tours
Duration: 2 hours
Admire the masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci Last Supper and feel the sweetness and magic atmosphere of his vineyard, part of the Casa degli Atellani, next to Santa Maria delle Grazie church.
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Admire the masterpiece of Leonardo da Vinci Last Supper and feel the sweetness and magic atmosphere of his vineyard, part of the Casa degli Atellani, next to Santa Maria delle Grazie church.The world famous painting started by Leonardo da Vinci in 1495 is located in the former refectory (dining hall) of Santa Maria delle Grazie church. It was commissioned by Ludovico sforza, Duke of Milan. The church and the friary, with Leonardo's masterpiece became the court church and burial place of the Sforza family.
To compensate Leonardo of this extraordinary piece of art, Ludovico "il Moro" Sforza gave to him a vineyard located just next to the church. Being Leonardo originally from a family of wine producers, it was not too hard for him to grow the vineyard after spending many hours working on his Last Supper painting.
Unfortunately, in 1500 the French troops defeated Ludovico Sforza, so Leonardo left Milan. He then got his vineyard back from the French. In 1519, on his deathbed, he asked to divide the land in two lots: one for a servant and one for Salaì, his favourite pupil, who lived in a small house on the plot until he got misteriously killed. Only in 1919, when Paolo Portaluppi, a major Milanese architect, began his work of transforming Casa degli Atellani, it was possible to determine the location of the vineyard: at the bottom of the garden's house.
With the help of two important institutions, the University of Agricultural Sciences in Milan and Confagricoltura, the Portaluppi Foundation and the owners of the house decided to replant Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard and open Casa degli Atellani and garden to the public on the occasion of Expo 2015.
To compensate Leonardo of this extraordinary piece of art, Ludovico "il Moro" Sforza gave to him a vineyard located just next to the church. Being Leonardo originally from a family of wine producers, it was not too hard for him to grow the vineyard after spending many hours working on his Last Supper painting.
Unfortunately, in 1500 the French troops defeated Ludovico Sforza, so Leonardo left Milan. He then got his vineyard back from the French. In 1519, on his deathbed, he asked to divide the land in two lots: one for a servant and one for Salaì, his favourite pupil, who lived in a small house on the plot until he got misteriously killed. Only in 1919, when Paolo Portaluppi, a major Milanese architect, began his work of transforming Casa degli Atellani, it was possible to determine the location of the vineyard: at the bottom of the garden's house.
With the help of two important institutions, the University of Agricultural Sciences in Milan and Confagricoltura, the Portaluppi Foundation and the owners of the house decided to replant Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard and open Casa degli Atellani and garden to the public on the occasion of Expo 2015.
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