A big arty "fuck off!"

This morning we head into Milan, and having been turned away from a guided tour that included a visit to Da Vinci's Last Supper, Michele and I decided we'd do some exploring of our own.

He's heard of a giant, very controversial sculpture of the one-fingered salute. The marble sculpture is four metres high, and sits on a base that renders the entire work eleven metres in height. Best of all, it is erected, so fittingly, directly in front of the Milan Stock Exchange. I would love to go for a beer with whichever public servant rubber-stamped this artwork.

When we turn the corner into the square, however, we find it covered from top to bottom in scaffolding. It is hidden from view by white tarpaulin, and surrounded by a high metal fence. Cable-tied to the fence is a laminated notice announcing that the artist's permission to use the public land had been “postponed”. I imagine this is the result of some angry letters from influential people. I wonder whether my drinking buddy in the local authority still has their job.

I won't be turned away from seeing two artworks in one day. The powers that be should know that censorship only makes people more curious. As it's a Sunday, the square is relatively quiet and Michele agrees to keep watch. The metal fence was burning hot from the midday sun. On the other side, I duck through a flap in the tarpaulin and once I'm on the scaffolding, I'm out of public view.

I must find the right moment to slip between the levels of the scaffolding in order to avoid the motion sensors. A couple of levels up, I find myself next to a huge, marble knuckle. It is cold, sturdy and smooth. I spend a few minutes here, aware that I'm seeing this piece far closer-up than most viewers.

I attempt to scale higher, to reach the nail or the finger tip. In doing so I trip one of the sensors. Either the sensor is a dummy, or the alarm sounds sounds somewhere off-site, but either way I make for the exit. Just as I land back on the other side of the fence, a patrol car prowls onto the square. We head for lunch.