The Last Supper
Anyone know if a viewing of The Last Supper is included on the Bellissima Northern Italy trip or must one make their own reservations for this?
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Anyone know if a viewing of The Last Supper is included on the Bellissima Northern Italy trip or must one make their own reservations for this?
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Can't say, but based on reports by others, the restrictions on size of the group allowed in the room, etc., I suspect it is too difficult for Tauck to schedule. Over the years, Tauck has been great offering visits such as this, but it is getting harder and harder as the number of tourists have grown and are overwhelming some sites. For that reason Tauck dropped Neuschwanstein from most, if not all, Germany/Alps tours, a few years ago. Local restrictions are really impacting visits to big ticket places such as this.
The text of your itinerary suggests you might want to book a visit on your own with a guide during the free afternoon on Day 2:
". . . . The rest of the day is free to explore what interests you most, perhaps visiting the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie to take in Leonardo da Vinci's mural The Last Supper,. . . . ."
Call Tauck to inquire when the morning tour concludes approximately so you can buy tickets in the afternoon. In 2019 The Last Supper was included in the Rhine Enchantment itinerary. We were taken in small groups from the hotel in the evening for a private viewing.
Yes, we lucked out in 2019 when it was included.
What I don’t understand is, if as Alan S says, it clearly states on the information about the tour that it is not included, don’t some people read any of this? It’s clear there are two groups of people, those who just book a tour and read nothing about the details, and those who read everything and even book extra days and things to do during the tour.
I can understand when nothing is said about a particular attraction, but Tauck clearly states it here.
I was surprised I was able to get this picture. Flash of course is not allowed and the room is ‘very’ dark.
We did the Rhine River on the Grace in 2022 and the Last Supper was included. It was a private tour ‘late’ in the day (night) and we were broken up into a number of groups to meet the maximum number allowed per visit.
We did this tour last September 2023, and the Last Supper was NOT included with the tour. We arrived early and did it on our own before the official tour began. We booked through https://www.cenacolo.it/the-last-supper/ If I remember right, you can only purchase direct tickets from here 60-ish days ahead. Tickets were 24 euros each. The exhibit is closed on Sundays and Mondays. So, in order to ensure we could go, I reserved Viator tickets (much more expensive at 86 euros each) well in advance, then cancelled them without penalty when I was quick enough to get the direct tickets as soon as they went on sale. One note - be sure to reserve your tour in English! Apparently, I didn't... 'nuff said, and there was only one tour per day in English. It was worth the extra hassle, just to stand in the same room. If you can't reserve an English tour, download an app. Oh, BTW, there is a great gelato shop not too far from Santa Maria delle Grazie. Have a great tour.
The tour that includes the private tour of the Last Supper is, “Rhine Enchantment Southbound”. The same tour Northbound does not show the tour to the Last Supper. “Don’t believe your lying eyes”. We were there with Tauck, and the itinerary for 2024 and 2025 shows the Last Supper tour on the Southbound trip only.
We will be on the Rhine Enchantment southbound in July and have been advised by Tauck there will be no private viewing of the Last Supper nor any scheduled time to visit the Last Supper. Major disappointment.
Oh dear, yet another cutback on a tour. What do they take you to instead of anything?
Tauck says there is a religious observance that makes it impossible to view the Last Supper (can’t figure out what that could be in early August). Anyway, they are giving us a private tour of the La Scala Opera House on a different day. So, they are trying to provide an equal experience.
The place is a church and a convent, so I’m sure tourism takes at best second place. In any case my picture gives a better view than I could see with the naked eye. It is really dark. Being there to see it in person of course is an experience, but it is a somewhat ‘subtle’ experience.
We booked this trip in 2023, and noted at the time The Last Supper was not included (also confirmed by Tauck on the phone). We monitored the Cencola sight for months before booking dates were re-opened for late spring. We secured our tickets through the Cencolo site and look forward to the experience. Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in Milan or other cities on this excursion?
I agree with Sealord regarding the Last Supper. I suppose it's one of those things you have to do, but they crowd you into a darkened room and you have a limited time. If you're interested in the details of the painting, you'll do much better researching it on the web.
I'm glad we did it, just so I can say we saw it, but it's not a highlight.
It was more interesting and memorable to go to the top of the Duomo (cathedral) than to see the Last Supper
I went to see the Last Supper during the Rhine Enchantment river cruise, yes, the room is dark
but it is quite the experience and the painting on the other side is beautiful.
To Romanskier
We went on Bellisima Italy last fall with Victor as our tour director. His recommendation for dinner in Milan was "Paper Moon". Its a short walk from your hotel and is fabulous. Go to You Tube.com and look for Victor Cartin Food Tours to find his review of this restaurant and also others that are included in your tour. La Botte (in Stresa/Lake Maggiore) was also great, as is Il Forno in Venice
We're booked for this trip in May, and we knew when we booked in 2023 The Last Supper would NOT be included. we have booked to see it via the Cenacola site. Looking forward to the journey!
We just got back from Venice yesterday, and I have to say our TD, Alexa, was one of the best we have had with Tauck (bene, bene!) She is so positive, bright, caring, and had such a great handle on our small groups itinarary. We picked this trip over a few others (best of Switzerland). The trip begins in Milan, where we independently booked the Last Supper and Duomo in advance. It's a big city and definitely the fashion capital...all the posing done by social media wannabes with their iPhone paparazzi made us chuckle. Milan was our least favorite city, but the trip just kept getting better and better with stays in Stresa, Verona, Bologna and Venice.Good food and wine, and Formula 1 was in Monza (30 minutes north of Bologna) while we were there. This trip does allow you plenty of free time to explore, which is good as we were allowed to venture out on our own for lunched or dinners away from the group, or just some rest in advance of the next activity or meal. Venice was our favorite city, and to have breakfast at the Riva Lounge @ the Gritti Palace was perfect. One of the best tips in advance of this trip was to download city maps with Google Maps, as it made the walking to our destinations so much easier. Highly recommend this Tauck trip. If you get Alexa as your Tour Director, you should count your lucky stars. She was a delightful treasure.