Milan’s Duomo – The Inside Story

Milan, Italy  - “What can you tell us?” asked friends who are planning a trip there next year. 

So many things come to mind – fashion and food among them – but what symbolizes this capital of the Lombardy region in Northern Italy for us is its Duomo (ˈdwōmō); Cathedral.


Each time we’ve visited the city with a 1.35 million population, we’ve been two tourist pilgrims, setting out on foot - just as religious pilgrims must have done before us - making our way to the imposing Gothic Italian structure eagerly seeking the first sight of its towering spires.

We entered Piazza del Duomo at the back of the Cathedral last fall, our mid-morning arrival before buses disgorged the masses of fellow tourists who fill the square, each angling for the best shot of the building that stands 148-feet (45 meters) tall and took six centuries to complete.

At this time of day there were no lines waiting to enter the Duomo dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente.

This seat of the Archbishop of Milan is crowned with 135 spires. On a previous visit we took the rooftop tour and walked among those intricately sculpted towers – it was amazing and we highly recommend it.



It isn’t until you go inside that you grasp just how enormous this place is and you understand why its construction took 600 years.

At 5’10” The Scout shrinks in size when compared to those massive pillars.



And how about that wall of organ pipes?

The stained glass windows which tower over visitors are works of art that tell through their illustrations the stories of the Virgin and Saints and, as such, were once considered  Biblia Pauperum, a pauper’s bible – easy to read and appealing.

The Duomo’s 3,400 statues and 700 figures are decorating elements typical of  all Gothic Cathedrals, used to send the message of Christian salvation (sometimes, rather violently depicted it seems, as illustrated in the photo above!)



And other times quite whimsical as we noted with this fellow – one of many such figures on the Duomo’s exterior.

That’s it for Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox and Travel Photo Discovery updated each Monday.

If You Go:

Duomo Milano
Piazza el Duomo, Milano
www.duomomilano.it

As always, thanks for the time you spent with us today. Happy Travels!