The Last Supper (Santa Maria delle Grazie)

Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' is the most famous painting in Milan and one of the most important works of art in the world — a 4.6 by 8.8 metre mural covering the end wall of the refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Painted between 1495 and 1498, it depicts the moment when Christ announces that one of his disciples will betray him, and the reactions of the twelve apostles — shock, denial, anger, grief — create a drama that has been studied, copied, and argued over for five centuries.

The painting's survival is itself remarkable. Leonardo experimented with a tempera-oil technique on dry plaster rather than the traditional fresco technique of painting on wet plaster, which meant the painting began deteriorating almost immediately. It has been through botched restorations, Napoleonic soldiers using the refectory as a stable, and a World War II bombing that destroyed the refectory's roof and three walls while the wall bearing the painting survived (protected by sandbags). A 21-year restoration completed in 1999 removed centuries of overpainting and grime, revealing colours and details that hadn't been visible for centuries.

Visiting requires advance booking — tickets sell out weeks ahead, and each group of 25 visitors gets exactly 15 minutes in the refectory. The time limit, which initially feels restrictive, actually works in the painting's favour: the small group, the silence, and the intensity of 15 minutes of focused looking create an encounter with art that is more powerful than hours of casual museum browsing. Book at least a month in advance, especially for summer visits.