Five centuries of building site — from Gian Galeazzo Visconti's 1386 to a façade finished under Napoleon — produced Italy's most stubborn Gothic cathedral: pink-veined Candoglia marble shipped in along the Navigli canals, some 3,400 statues, 135 spires, and on top the gilded Madonnina of 1774, which by tradition nothing in Milan may overtop without paying her tribute.
What to see
The terraces, above all: walking ON the roof of a Gothic cathedral, among flying buttresses and pinnacles, with the Alps on the horizon on clear days, is an experience no other great church offers quite like this. Inside, the apse windows, Marco d'Agrate's startling flayed Saint Bartholomew, and the crypt chapel of Saint Charles Borromeo. Below, the archaeological area holds the Early Christian baptistery where Ambrose baptised Augustine.
Visiting
A single tiered ticket covers cathedral, terraces (stairs or lift), museum and archaeological area; climbing on foot costs effort and pays the best vertigo. This is a working church: covered shoulders, security checks, and queues that online booking shortens.
Getting there
Metro M1 and M3, "Duomo" stop: you surface literally before the façade. Historic trams and every city-centre line converge on the square; from anywhere in Milan, the Madonnina serves as compass.
Our editors' tip
Take the terraces in the last afternoon slot: the stone warms to pink, the square lights up below and the spires throw long shadows. Inside, find the brass meridian line of 1786 set into the floor: the beam of sun striking it at solar noon is the cathedral's best-kept secret.