Last Supper Tickets/Tour
 

Would like to see The Last Supper while in Milan next June.
Can anyone recommend a tour that will handle the mess of securing tickets?
FWIW: I don't see they're released for June 2023, yet.

Securing tickets is not really a "mess," but you have to decide if you want to do the work to get tickets or pay someone else to do it. The process for buying individual tickets is different than group tickets. DIY tickets are 15 euros. Tour companies charge something like 45-55 euros.

Some tour operators offer reservations several months in advance but on limited dates with very limited time slots. Viator, for instance, will sell reservations now for three Thursdays in June for one time slot only on each of those days. Other companies may offer other days and times, but I don't think any company has a wide-open calendar now for June. The official ticket seller Vivaticket.it will sell June tickets starting some time in mid- to late-April.

FWIW, we've been able to get same-day tickets by visiting the ticket office when it opens to see if there are any unsold or returned tickets for that day. But this was pre-Covid and NOT in summer. Some tour companies offer after hours/evening viewing which I would find very appealing.

Here's the rub: Due to a family member that really doesn't want to miss seeing The Last Supper, we are aiming to see if on a layover (from the train) from Venice to our next destination. This makes timing a little tricky with train schedules not yet released, so I was hoping to secure early afternoon tickets to hedge our bets.

The Italian train timetables for Venice-Milan won't change significantly between now and June. If you want a no-connection train from Venice, you're probably going to have to leave early in order to give you enough time to squeeze this in. What is the final destination? When do you want to get there?

You'll arrive at Milano Centrale, will need to store your luggage and then taxi or subway to the church. (I would taxi.) You must arrive 30 minutes (minimum) before your entry time, and you'll be allowed to view the fresco for 15 minutes. Then backtrack to Centrale, retrieve your luggage and get to the binario for your departing train.

We'll be headed to Arth Goldhau in Switzerland, but don't need to arrive by a specific time.

Would a 0718 - 0945 train be good enough?

Should be. Being the worrywort I am, I wouldn't book the LS earlier than 11:30 in case the train is a few minutes late or it takes some time to leave the luggage, catch a cab, etc.etc. If you get to the church early, you could have a short look at the Castello nearby. If you have time before your departing train, try to see the Duomo.

I was thinking of booking an early afternoon timeslot to make sure we're safe. Hoping that gives us more breathing room.

Well, I'm a fan of Milan, so having time to see a a couple of other things or enjoy a nice lunch would be good for me. Now you just have to cross your fingers that temperatures don't stop you in your tracks.

Does this mean: It will be so unbearably hot that it will cause you to move at a snail's pace??

Yes. Looking at June 2022 temps, some days were above 90F.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/it/mi...4046?year=2022

I just took the tour on Nov 11, 2022.
Here is the website: https://cenacolovinciano.vivaticket.it/en
if you go to the website you will see that tickets are only available in a 3 month availability period. So the tickets for me opened up at the end of Oct and are available until Jan 2023. There are tours in english at specific times.
Yes, you only have 15 minutes to view the Last Supper. The tour is broken into 15 minute increments. First 15 is a talk about the history and you are outside the chapel. Then the group of 35 enters a glass-doored chamber. When the group is in the "chamber", the back door closes. Then the door in the front opens and the group exits into the dining hall. You spend the 15 minutes there with the tour guide explaining what you are seeing. At exactly 15 minutes you leave the dining hall, enter another "chamber", the door is closed, and then the front door is open and you all exit and an additional talk occurs. This is a humidity controlled process for the preservation of the Las Supper.
The tour and guide was excellent.