Any visit to The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) must be accompanied by a tour of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Built by Guiniforte Solari, with later additions by Bramante, it encapsulates the magnificence of the Milanese court of Ludovico 'Il Moro' Sforza and Beatrice d'Este. Articulated in fine brickwork and terracotta, the building is robust but fanciful; its apse is topped by Bramante's masterful cupola and its interior lined with frescoes.
In the sacristry , Sagrestia Monumentale del Bramante, more treasures await: illuminated pages from the Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of da Vinci’s drawings in the world. More than 1700 of them were gathered together by sculptor Pompeo Leoni, enough to make up 12 immense volumes so heavy they threatened the conservation of the drawings themselves. The sheets have now been unbound and are displayed in softly lit cases.
