Milan

First of all, I can't show you the results of the 20-year restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" because you can't take pics. I can assure you that it's extraordinary. The photos I've seen of this painting have looked soft and a bit out of focus. The real thing has power in the hands, light, positioning, colors, movement, all sorts of things.

I'm sorry we slipped through Milan quickly, but the Duomo and "The Last Supper" were worth the stop. We didn't anticipate the big shopping mall of the Renaissance (I thought I was taking a pic of an arch, but it continued into galleries of expensive stores). Even better, Maynard found the church of St. Ambrose (Ambroglio). He was a bishop who, among other things, baptized Augustine (later made a saint) and started a church in honor of his (Ambrose's) brother. By the way, this was in the 400s. Politics stepped in, and the final church was named for two saints, but some of the 5th century mosaics, carvings, and frescoes remain. I found a sheep I liked.

Dinner was especially good; Maynard had ossobucco, a Milanese specialty, and I ate two courses that included artichokes prepared in different ways. Then the dessert was divine.