Duomo di Milano

"Let's start big 😃 The Duomo di Milano deserves a visit on its own because it is so full of history and art. But anyway, it can be a good point to start our itinerary. Many lores have been told about this beautiful building, from its construction to more modern days. One of the most peculiar is that the cathedral was built over an ancient Celtic temple dedicated to the goddess Belisama, later associated by the Romans with Minerva. Milan was founded by the Insubrians, a Celtic tribe that later fell under the Roman empire in the year 223 BC. The construction of the Cathedral began in the year 1386 and officially finished in the year 1965. A popular say in Milan is to refer to something comparing it to the "fabbrica del Duomo" (the construction company of the Duomo) meaning something that has no end. An interesting lore about the construction of the cathedral says that the Devil himself is involved. In the year 1386 it is said that the Lord of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti receives a visit by Satan who tells him he will bring his soul to hell unless he builds a cathedral full of the images of the devil. Almost 500 years later the will of the devil is fulfilled: beyond the 3400 statues of saints and of important figures, the Duomo hosts 96 gargoyles depicting demons and drakes. The other popular say connected to this lore is that Milan is so busy that the productive people from Milan have found a job even for the demons: they are all outside of the Duomo letting the rainwater flow!! Another popular legend connected to the Duomo is the one about Carlina, a young woman from Como who married her husband dressed in black as tradition from the feudal time. After the marriage Carlina, dressed in black, wanted to visit the Cathedral with her husband but, when she arrived on the roof she got scared by the statues and, since there was a thick fog, she lost the way and fell down. The body was never found. The ghost of a lady dressed in black can sometimes be seen in the pictures of recently wed couples who pose in front of the Cathedral. I finish this long paragraph about the Duomo di Milano with some curiosities about the "Madonnina", the statue that towers the cathedral. The Madonnina was commissioned by Empress Maria Teresa of Austria in 1776 and became immediately the symbol of the city. The Milan Cathedral is the only one in the world that has a Madonna on it top and this Madonna is the only one with a longsword. The Madonna is not looking in front of her but on a side direction, precisely in the direction of the mountain complex where the marbles that built the Cathedral came from, the Mount Moro, Ornavasso and going straight a swiss town named Briga, as Saint Briga or better the Goddess Briga -Belisama of the Insubrian tribes. So the Madonnina with the longsword can remind us to the ancient goddess, but this is just a supposition 😃"

"This is a masterpiece. I'm not going to lie. It's swamped and touristy, people will try to sell you a selfie stick, and there are A LOT of pigeons, but whenever you step out of the metro and see this wonder in front of your life, it makes it all worthwhile. Take a minute to walk up to the door and lose yourself in the carved details. They're stunning. Looking at the Duomo, you'll see the Galleria on the left. "

"From Monday to Friday Eucharist mass: At 7am – 8am - 8.30am (in the Crypt) – 11am – 5.30pm Recital of the Rosary: 5 pm Saturday Eucharist mass: 8.30am (in the Crypt) - 9.30am Vigil mass: 5.30pm (at the High Altar) Holidays(*) Sundays and Festivities Celebrations of the Eucharist: 7am - 8am (in the Feriale Chapel) 9.30 am – 11.00 am (Capitular Eucharist in Latin) - 12.30 am – 5.30 pm"