As part of our journey to Berlin we found ourselves with a few hours of time for a stop-over in Milan, so we decided fit in a little site seeing. Originally we wanted to see Di Vinci’s Last Supper, but reservations are necessary, and they book up weeks in advance. Instead we went to the city center to see the Duomo, the Gothic-style cathedral which is the second largest church in Italy. The Duomo is easily one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Europe. The white marble facade, with patterned tiers carved of the surface, radiates in the sunshine, and the spindle-like spires, each topped with a different statue, rise up from innumerable points along the roof as if piercing the sky. As you walk around the cathedral and view it from different angles, the spires, scalloping and other embellishments combine to form new and mesmerizing patterns.

The massive cathedral took nearly 500 years to construct with work beginning in the 14th century, continuing through the renaissance and on to Napoleons reign until finally culminating in the 19th century. Now, restoration work has begun, and when we saw the Duomo the bottom half of the façade was covered in scaffolding, but that did little to diminish the magnificence of the building.

Inside, the dark interior is vast and expansive, providing the perfect atmosphere for the stained glass windows to stand out. When the sun shines just right, rays of colored light stream through the air and illuminate points on the giant columns and floor in a kaleidoscope of color.

Last Modified : July 24th, 2007
Filed under : Italy, Trips, Arts and culture
Navigate : Previous post / Next post