Several highlights on my list must be booked in advance. First, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano), in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. One of the world's great paintings, the 15 x 29 foot mural was completed in 1498. Despite its popularity and the restricted number of visitors, booking doesn't seem to be possible very far in advance, hence my late attempt to do so. But a week ago the website showed it fully booked to the end of June – 8:15 to 18:45, six days a week – with no further dates. Since then they've released July and August (no use to me), and most of July has already gone. In fact I called the reservation line and they did have a slot available on my day in Milan, but it was too late in the day. I may try for a cancellation or no-show when I get there.
After much thought about whether I could get to an 8:30 booking at the Uffizi gallery in Florence, I find they don't have any availability until midday anyway, on my chosen day. Nor on the next day. So I tried booking for 12:15, but then their bank wouldn't accept my currency card. I gave it a while to release the ticket and tried again with another card, which also failed. Eventually I phoned the booking number and quickly got a booking reference for 12:15; collect the ticket and pay the fee when I get there. Easy!
Booked a 12:30 visit to the Giotto Frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, through their website. The frescoes – considered one of the most important masterpieces of Western art – narrate events in the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ, and cover all the walls of the Chapel. They were commissioned by Enrico degli Scrovegni and completed by Giotto in 1305. Using the booking reference I must collect my ticket from the nearby Eremitani Museum ticket office before 11:30, which should give time for the journey from Venice without rushing; the Chapel and Eremitani are not far from the station. There are a few other things on my list for Padova, of course, mainly exteriors.
Finally, a booking for Basilica San Marco in Venice, not mandatory but it ought to save some queuing. Quite easy to book on the VenetoInside website (linked from the Basilica website), although there was some confusion over booking fees due to their automated system sending the wrong email. Quickly sorted, and I now have the all-important barcode for entry. The silly thing about Basilica San Marco is that the visit is meant to last only ten minutes, hardly enough time to walk from one end to the other. I'm hoping that by loitering in a quiet place I will be able to escape being chased out.
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