The Mail on Sunday

Last Supper in Milan? I’m just getting started

- By Wendy Gomersall

STANDING in the refectory of Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie basilica, just a few feet from Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th Century masterpiec­e The Last Supper, we could easily see the facial features of Jesus and his Disciples, even the cutlery and plates on the table.

We couldn’t make out what they actually had for their last supper – but we were well aware that this marvellous city is full of delicious things to eat.

The Italian region of Lombardy and its capital have produced culinary classics including saffroninf­used risotto and sweet panettone. OK, the coffee- flavoured d dessert tiramisu wasn’t invented here, but the negroni sbagliato was.. A blend of campari, i, sweet vermouth and prosecco, it certainly perked me up.

No wonder Milan is a mecca for gourmands, and now you can get there via a two-hour Flybe flight, operated by Stobart Air, from Southend to Milan Malpensa, a 60-minute drive from the city.

We arrived in time for dinner at the popular Asola. Prosecco was followed by quail, risotto, veal, tiramisu and more fizz. I want to blame the fizz for my Segway accident the next day, but it was clumsiness. A Segway tour (segway tourmilan.com) is a good way to see a lot of Milan quickly, but make sure you pay attention to potholes. I recovered over lunch at legendary r est aurant Savini, once popular with Frank Sinatra, in the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade.

Apart from food, Milan has won- derful art. Sightseein­g should include the handsome cathedral, Poldi Pezzoli museum, the royal palace, and the Castello Sforzesco, the medieval home of Ludovico Sforza, da Vinci’s employer.

We stayed at four-star NH Milano Touring Hotel, which is modern and has comfy rooms.

Thanks to the newly opened gardens of Leonardo, we now know how the artist fortified himself while painting The Last Supper. La Vigna di Leonardo museum includes the plot given to the artist in 1498 by Ludovico Sforza.

Research has identified the vines grown by Leonardo – Malvasia di Candia – and the vineyard was replanted with the same variety in 2015. I’ll have to sample a bottle when it’s ready – but I won’t be getting on a Segway afterwards…

 ??  ?? ORNATE: The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade. Left: Wendy is tempted by a plate of tiramasu
ORNATE: The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade. Left: Wendy is tempted by a plate of tiramasu
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