Duomo di Milano
A cathedral begun in 1386 and finished in 1965 — the largest church in Italy, in Candoglia marble under a forest of spires.
Five hundred and seventy-nine years
Construction began in 1386 and the last details were finished in 1965, which makes the Duomo less a building than a relay run across six centuries. It is the largest church in Italy — St Peter's is larger but stands outside the republic — and it is built of brick faced in Candoglia marble, from quarries Gian Galeazzo Visconti gave to the cathedral chapter so the work would never want for stone. The result is Gothic in ambition and Renaissance in parts of its execution, carrying 135 spires. On the tallest of them the gilded Madonnina was raised in 1762 at 108.5 metres, and for most of Milan's history nothing was allowed to stand above her.
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What there is to see
The roof is the part people remember, and it is a separate visit from the nave.
⛪ The façade and nave
- Candoglia marble throughout, which shifts from pink to grey with the weather and the hour
- A Gothic interior on a scale no other church in Italy matches
🏔️ The roof terraces
- Open to visitors, and the reason to come: you walk among the pinnacles rather than looking up at them
- The carving was made to be seen from here, close, not from the square below
👑 The Madonnina
- Gilded, raised in 1762, at 108.5 metres on the main spire
🗿 The spires
- 135 of them, openwork, which is what gives the roofline its particular bristling silhouette
Getting there
The cathedral is the centre of Milan in the literal sense — the city is laid out around it.
🧭 Position
- Piazza del Duomo, with the Galleria opening off the square's northern side
When to go
The roof rewards clear weather more than any other part.
🌤️ Conditions
- On a clear day the terraces look north to the Alps; in haze they look at the pinnacles instead, which is still the point
🕰️ Time of day
- Early, before the square fills — it is the busiest place in the city
Before you go
A working cathedral as well as a monument.
👕 Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered for the interior, as in any Italian church
🎟️ Access
- The roof terraces are a separate admission from the church, and there is a fee
Close by
The square and what opens off it.
Frequently asked
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