The boat I rode on along Lake Como from Como to Bellagio, Italy, with its villas, gardens, luxury shops and tourists descending from packed boats onto the lakeshore. Bellagio is a small village at the tip of a long hilly promontory between the two southern branches of Lake Como. May 17, 2017

A look onto the mountainside and Lake Como from Bellagio, considered the pearl of Lake Como in Italy. May 17, 2017

A look onto the mountainside and Lake Como from Bellagio, considered the pearl of Lake Como in Italy. May 17, 2017

A look onto Lake Como from Bellagio, considered the pearl of Lake Como in Italy. May 17, 2017

Bellagio is considered as the Pearl of Lake Como and from the lakefront there are these pedestrian alleyways with medieval stone stairs (about 140 of them) that lead to a piazza at the top. Along the way up, the alleys are full of shops and restaurants. May 17, 2017

The colorful pedestrian alleyway from the Bellagio’s Lake Como lakefront in Italy. May 17, 2017

The colorful pedestrian alleyway from the Bellagio’s Lake Como lakefront in Italy. May 17, 2017

The town of Como, Italy. May 17, 2017

The town of Como, Italy. May 17, 2017

The colorful pedestrian alleyway from the Bellagio’s Lake Como lakefront in Italy. May 17, 2017

Me doing my writing thing in my small, by centrally located hotel…Hotel Regina…in Milan, Italy. May 14, 2017

My small, bit sufficient room, with a desk, at Hotel Regina in Milan, Italy. May 14, 2017

It’s considered the most well known piece of art in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” It is on what was the dining hall wall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The painting has been restored 11 times. The last restoration took 21 years, from 1978 to 1999 by Pinin Brambilla Barcilon who painstakingly worked to stabilize the painting and reverse the damages caused by dirt, pollution and previous restorations. She also did a detailed study to determine the painting’s original form. Since the painting could not be moved or removed, the dining room was sealed and made into a climate-controlled environment. To see “The Last Supper” you need advance tickets and only a certain number of people are allowed in for 15 minutes at a time…after passing through two de-humidifying chambers. And, then into this huge room with “The Last Supper” covering the wall from end to end. May 14, 2017

A close-up of “The Last Supper by” Leonardo da Vinci on what was the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, of Jesus and his 12 disciples when Jesus announced that one of them would betray him. Leonardo was in his early 40’s and it took him four years, from 1494 to 1498, to complete the painting. Although the most recent restoration took 21 years, from 1978 to 1999, the colors are quite dull and faded, but the restorer chose to remove previous restoration attempts and through research sought to bring the painting back to its original form. May 14, 2017

Another close up to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” This painting is not considered a fresco because of the manner in which Leonardo painted it, on a dry wall rather than on wet plaster. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, as it is told in the Gospel of John, 13:21. Although author Dan Brown of “The DaVinci Code” wrote a compelling piece of fiction, the person seated to the left of Jesus is not Mary. Instead, it is John, who was the youngest apostle and who was often painted with feminine features. May 14, 2017

A close-up of Giovannia Donato Montorfano’s 1495 frescoed depiction of the “Crucifixion,” inside the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. May 14, 2017