Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025
After breakfast at our hotel we met our guide at the Piazza del Duomo. It was the main square in Milan with the Milan Cathedral (Duomo) dominating the view. There also were cafes and fashion shops.
We met our guide Barbara and our first stop was the Duomo. Construction began in 1386 and used a Gothic architecture and it took six centuries to complete! Officially in 1965 the cathedral was complete. The facade was made from marble and the Duomo could hold up to 40,000! It was 515 feet long and 302 feet wide.
The Duomo has 135 spires and each spire was topped with a statue.
The most famous spire and statue was “The Madonnina” perched on the highest spire. It was completed in 1773 and placed near the end of 1774. It was copper and covered in gold. Before the start of WWII in 1939 the Madonnina was covered with a grey-green cloth and it stayed on throughout the war. It was covered so it wouldn’t provide an easy target for the bombers.
Inside the Milan Cathedral were thousands of images and it was said that it housed a nail to have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It had hung in the Cathedral since 1461 above the main altar. It’s marked by a red light. Once a year during the Rite of the Nivola and placed in a gilded wooden cross for all to see.
The Gothic interior had huge stone pillars.
The floor of the Duomo was a symmetrical flowered pattern. It was made completely marble and was constructed by Martino Bassi. The Candoglia marble slabs were inlaid together with Arzo red and black Vannera marble from Lake Como.
The Duomo had intricate stained-glass windows. The oldest dated from the 15th century and the newest from 1988. There were three large stained-glass windows that depicted different scenes located in the Apse. The window on the left depicted scenes from the Old Testament.
The middle window had scenes from the Apocalypse.
The right window depicted scenes from the New Testament.
This was the only original stained-glass window in the church.
The Cathedral’s organ was from 1938 and had 15,800 pipes, 2 twin consoles with 5 keyboards and 211 registers!
The statue of St. Bartholomew was sculpted by Marco d’ Agrate in 1562. He was depicted flayed, holding a knife- the instrument of his martyrdom. In his other hand he had the Gospel. His own skin hung from his shoulders down his body, his hands, feet, bearded face and his curly hair.
After visiting the Duomo, we walked through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was a covered passage between the Duomo and the Teatro all Scala. It was the oldest shopping center in Italy. The Galleria was glass-topped and decorated with mosaics, caryatids, and had decorations that surrounded the windows and balconies.
We walked out of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to the Teatro alla Scala (La Scala). The opera house from 1778 was considered one of the leading opera and ballet theaters globally.
We walked through the prestigious Brera neighborhood on our way to visit the Sforzesco Castle.
It was a 15th century fortification that was built on the ruins of a previous medieval fortress. It was commissioned by Francesco Sforza. It was a beautiful complex and very large.
Over time the Castle had many masters. Now the complex houses an Art Gallery, an Archaeological Museum, various exhibitions, libraries and archives.
After our visit to the Castle we walked to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Delle Grazie to visit Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous Last Supper.
The Last Supper was painted between 1494 and 1498. Leonardo painted it on the wall of the dining room of the former Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. It was protected by air treatment, a maximum of 35 people can go in at a time, and you have 15 minutes to observe and admire the painting. This visit was a highlight for us!
During WWII to protect this masterpiece from bombings, local officials built a protective barrier of sandbag, wooden planks, and scaffolding around the wall of the fresco. Thank goodness the wall was protected because an Allied bombing attack heavily damage the roof and surrounding walls. We saw pictures from the damage and it was extensive!
On the opposite wall of the Last Supper fresco was Giovanni Donato Montorfano’s Crucifixion that was painted in 1495. It was a detailed depiction of the Crucifixion.
Montorfano’s fresco was more durable because he used the traditional fresco way. He applied the paint to wet plaster where Da Vinci used an experimental method on dry plaster.
Since we had concentrated on the historical part of Milan we decided to do the Hop On Hop Off Blue line which covered more of “modern” Milan. This route gave us a chance to explore the outer areas of the city. We’ve included a few of the sights.
The Palazzo della Societá Buonarroti-Carpaccio-Giotto was designed by Piero Portaluppi and built between 1926 and 1930. This building was unique because he designed an archway in the building. The ground floor was for commercial businesses, the first floor had offices, and luxury residences on the upper floors. There were seven floors in all. It was definitely unique.
The archway provided access to the road through the arch and a city park was located to the right of the picture above.
We also was the Milano Centrale Railway Station. It was the main station for the city. It also was the largest railway station in Europe by volume!
We saw some of the skyscrapers and housing on our ride.
Palazzo Luraschi was a 19th century palace, 1887, and was built by Ferdinando Luraschi. One of its key features was the columns were used from the demolished Lazzaretto. The Lazzaretto was once the site of a large quaratine hospital.
Palazzo Bocconi was another 19th century residential palace built in 1871. It retained the historic features but had been updated for modern use. The palazzo was commissioned by Ferdinando Bocconi. He was a wealthy merchant and he founded the Bocconi University in memory of his late son Luigi.
Palazzo Rocca- Saporiti was another Neoclassical palace constructed from 1800-1812. It was commissioned by Gaetano Belloni who managed the gaming room at La Scala. When prohibition of gambling occurred he was forced to sell his residence to the Marquis Rocca Saporiti. The balustrade supports ten statues that depicted mythological deities.
The Monument ai Bersaglieri was sculpted by Mario Robaudi and was unveiled in 1973. It was a tribute to the Bersaglieri which was Italy’s famed light infantry corps. They were known for their agility and marksmanship.
The Verziere Column was dedicated to “Jesus Christ the Redeemer” and was named Verziere which was the name of the street market that was located in this area until 1783. The column construction began in 1580 but completed in 1673.
When we finished we walked back to our hotel, dropped off our stuff and then we enjoyed a glass of wine at the Wine Bar near the hotel. Tomorrow we are up early for our excursion to St. Moritz, Switzerland.
