Milano, Cathedral

The Duomo in Milan is the second largest (to Seville, Spain) Gothic Cathedral. Although construction started in 1386, the Duomo was finally completed at the order of Napoleon in 1809, when this part of Italy was under control of the French. The nave is held in place by 52 pillars, each 16 paces (about 35 feet) in circumference. Instead of one or two massive towers, Milan’s Duomo has a tall central tower, over 90 small gothic towers, and 2,245 spires that extend above the roof.

The façade is covered with shining rosy-tinted Candoglia marble, quarried in the vicinity of Lake Maggiore. Using the lake, the Ticino River, and the Naviglio (a canal that runs through Milano), the stone was delivered directly to the heart of the city, almost next to the building site.

During WW II the Tiburio, or central spire, was draped in dark military cloth. Soon after the war ended, workmen climbed high to the top of the Tiburio to remove the cloth. Our son-in-law’s father remembers the thunderous roar of approval from the immense crowd in Piazza del Duomo when workmen removed the cloth, so the brilliance of the Madonnina (a gilded statue of the Virgin) could again became an inspiration for the citizens of Milano.

As seen so often in Italy, note all the pigeons on the plaza, and perched on the fancy street light.