Meeting with the driver and the guide in hotel.
The Magnificent enlightened age of Renaissance courts comes to life on this tour of the romantic Castello Sforzesco and the works of Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci.
Itinerary: Santa Maria delle Grazie Church: The unique blend of simple elegant Tuscan architectural form and colour of Lombard decorative motifs produced an extraordinary offspring. In 1463, a captain in Francesco Sforza’s army, Gaspare Vimercati, donated a plot of land to the Domanican order. On the site was a chapel adorned with a fresco of the Virgin, so called Madonna delle Grazie.
Cenacolo: The eighteen years that Leonardo da Vinci spent at the court of Ludovico il Moro had such an impact on the history of Lombard art that the whole 16th century was affected. Leonardo started work on the fresco-judged by many the genius’s greatest work on the fresco soon became legendary. Leonardo painted it using an unconventional technique, sometimes without letting a paintbrush the whole day long, other times not picking up a paintbrush for days at time. Unfortunately, this technique involving the use of tempera paint over a double layer of plaster (rather then true fresco pigment which becomes part of the wall itself) proved faulty, and the fresco, which could not withstand the dampness of the wall it was painted on, was soon decaying. Emerging miraculously unscathed from the August 1943 bombings which meanwhile had completely destroyed the Refectory, the Last Supper was given the best of modern restoration treatment to save it from total ruin (numerous past attempts had miserably failed ).
Castello Sforzesco + Museums: The castle, which is one of the greatest monuments of the Renaissance period was started in the 14th century, when Galeazzo II Visconti ordered building to begin on a stronghold. It was transformed into a splendid ducal palace by Filippo Maria Partly demolished during the Ambrosian Republic. Since 1896, the Castello Sforzesco has housed the Civic Museums one of the largest collections of art in Milan.
Santa Maria Church by San Satiro: The original nucleus of this church, founded by archbishop Ansperto da Biassono, dates from 876. The only remnant is the Sacello della Pietà, which was altered by Bramante and the Romanesque Bell Tower. The transept leads to the Chapel of San Satiro.
Palazzo Borromeo: This prestigious early 15th century was badly damaged by the 1943 bombings and the only remaining original architectural element is the ogival portal, with leaf decoration and the coat of arms of the Borromeo Family. Inside the grown floor hall leads the 15th century Sala dei Giochi, which is decorated with frescoes of the games played by the aristocracy of the time, including the “Game of Tarot”.
Cà Grande: The Casa Grande or Ospedale Maggiore, was built for Francesco Sforza from 1456 on with the aim of uniting city’s 30 hospitals. In 1939 the hospital moved to a new site, and since 1952 the Cà Granda has housed the liberal arts faculties of the Università Statale, Milan’s University. The Hospital was modern for its time: there were separate wings for men and women - each with a central infirmary and a large courtyard between them.
Return to hotel.
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