Santa Maria delle Grazie

"The grand hemispherical dome of Bramante is, at first sight, the most impactful element of the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. But the true attraction of the former Dominican monastery is the Last Supper, an absolute masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, adorning a wall in the refectory next to the Cloister of the Dead. The late Gothic brick church, initiated around 1465 by Guiniforte Solari, later intervened by Bramante at the behest of Ludovico il Moro, embellishes the apsidal part and creates the magnificent hemispherical dome. The complex also includes the small cloister and the old sacristy."

"Duke Francesco I Sforza commissioned the construction of a Dominican convent and church on the site of an earlier chapel dedicated to St. Mary of the Graces. The convent, designed by architect Guiniforte Solari, was completed by 1469. The church, however, took decades to finish. Duke Ludovico Sforza later decided to make it the Sforza family burial site, overseeing the reconstruction of the cloister and apse, which were completed after 1490. Ludovico's wife, Beatrice, was interred there in 1497."

"Home of The Last Supper, get tickets in advance if you are interested in seeing it. I have heard it's a bit of an ordeal to view because it is in a specialized chamber that requires shoe covers and pressurized chambers. We opted not to do it this time, however if you have older children that might be interested, this is where to go."