Duomo

A frenzy of flying buttresses, 135 spires and a staggering 3200 statues, Milan’s Gothic Duomo is the world’s largest of its kind, and third largest in any style in Europe. This vision of pink-tinged Candoglia marble was commissioned in 1386 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti and has a capacity for a congregation of 40,000 (Milan’s population at the time).

Centuries of construction (from east to west) finally saw it largely completed in 1812 (although various bits and bobs would not be attached until the 1960s). Crowning this Gothic splendour is a gilded copper statue of the Madonnina (Little Madonna), the city’s traditional protector. Curiously, there’s no bell tower.

The cathedral’s echoing interior is equally awe-inspiring, with 146 stained-glass windows, and intricately carved pillars. Although the ceiling also appears carved, it’s a trompe l’œil. High above the altar is a nail said to have been the one that impaled Christ’s right hand on the cross. Predating the cathedral is the early Christian baptistry, the Battistero di San Giovanni, accessed via a stairwell next to the main entrance. The crypt displays the remains of San Carlo Borromeo, who died in 1584, in a glass casket, while off to the side, the treasury has a small collection of liturgical vessels (interesting only to the truly dedicated).

For a close-up of the forest of spires, statuary and pinnacles – and views as far as Switzerland on a clear day – you can climb 165 steps to the cathedral roof. Alternatively, it’s a quick zip up in the lift to the top. Entrances to both are outside the cathedral on the northern side.