Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)

The Duomo di Milano is Italy's largest cathedral and one of the largest Gothic churches in the world, dominating the centre of Milan from its position in Piazza del Duomo. Construction began in 1386 under Gian Galeazzo Visconti and continued for nearly six centuries, with the final bronze doors installed in 1965. The exterior presents an extraordinary concentration of Gothic ornamentation: 3,400 statues, 135 marble spires (all topped with saints), and a façade mixing Gothic and Baroque elements added at Napoleon's insistence. The interior is immense — 157 metres long, 93 metres across, with five naves supported by 52 massive columns — and illuminated by 3,600 square metres of 15th-century stained glass windows, the largest collection of medieval stained glass in the world. The most striking interior feature is the 16th-century flayed-skin statue of Saint Bartholomew in the south transept. The rooftop terraces are the principal reason most visitors purchase the combined ticket: a maze of flying buttresses, spire-lined walkways, and gargoyle vantage points, with the Alps visible on clear days to the north and the Lombard plain stretching to the south. The terrace is accessible by stairs or elevator; the elevator ticket costs more but saves the 165-step climb. The golden Madonnina statue at the summit of the tallest spire (108 metres) is the traditional protector of Milan, and until 1960 no building in the city was permitted to exceed her height.