At the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in the city of Milan, northern Italy

 "Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.' -- Leonardo da Vinci

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(in northern Italy) The city of Milan, capital of Milano province and of the region of Lombardy, is the leading financial center and the most prosperous manufacturing and commercial city of Italy. One of the world's fashion capitals, Milan has much to offer, including the iconic Duomo di Milano, (the world's largest Gothic cathedral, highlighted here), the exquisite mosaics and glass vaults of Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II, and impressive museums (such as the Pinacoteca di Brera). There'are lots of trendy restaurants here, and pleasant cafes, as well as the longstanding Milanese tradition of aperitivo.

+ Ruled by the Caesars, Napoléon, the Austro-Hungarians, and Mussolini, Milan boasts quite an ancient and fascinating history. After the unification of Italy in 1861, it also became an important industrial and cultural center -- a title it still holds today. It also holds its own in Italy, with art collections old and new, which mark the genius of old masters and provoke new conversations about where the world is headed. (Leonardo lived in Milan for more than 20 years of his life and was commissioned to assist with many of the Sforza family's ambitious artistic and engineering projects.) This coincided with Leonardo's painting of the "Last Supper" in the cenacle of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Since da Vinci "broke all the rules" in his stunning Last Supper, the indefatigably inventive Milanese seem to have skipped straight from the Renaissance to the 1900s. Currently, Leonardo's Vineyard with the Casa degli Atellani, the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the Cenacle represent the essence of Renaissance Milan -- and the period during which Leonardo da Vinci worked here.