The story of this place
Begun in 1386 under Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Milan Cathedral is the largest church in Italy after St Peter's and took nearly 600 years to complete—the final details were finished only in 1965. Built of pinkish Candoglia marble, its roof bristles with 135 spires and some 3,400 statues, more than any other building on Earth. A golden Madonna, the 'Madonnina,' crowns the highest spire at 108 metres; by long tradition no building in Milan could rise above her. Napoleon, crowned King of Italy in the cathedral in 1805, pushed the facade's completion. Visitors can walk across the roof terraces among the marble pinnacles, with Alpine views on clear days—an experience unique among the world's cathedrals.