Mint Milano

(Editor: You’ve planning to use that headline since you started planning for this trip!  Writer: Well, it’s certainly possible.)

In 2022, we took a short trip to Amsterdam, Milan, and Lake Maggiore.  Milan was just a short stop on eight day vacation, where we had about five hours to cover the Milan Duomo and the Last Supper, before driving up to Lake Maggiore.  Most of Europe was in the middle of a horrible record heat wave (with the blessed exception of Amsterdam).  

Well, we drove into Milan.  We had to wait to get into a parking garage near the Duomo, and went to meet our tour guide.  We barely had any time to eat, so we scarfed down McDonald’s hamburgers (don’t judge – it was the best option given the amount of time we had, so yes, it was my first meal in Italy in 15 years and we went to McDonalds).

From there, we met our guide, Veronica, in the stifling heat.  I made the mistake of looking up to the top of the Duomo at a sharp angle, and nearly passed out.  I barely made it across the roof of the Duomo without passing out (although I took a lot of photos!).  Once in the cathedral for the inside portion of the tour, I couldn’t do much but sit in a pew, eagerly drink the water Carol and Veronica were plying me with, and hope not to pass out.

So one of our goals was to redo the tour – so we hired Veronica again via What’sApp.  (If you are looking for a tour guide for the Duomo and other parts of Milan, Veronica's What'sApp is +39 340 772 1721 -- she's excellent and we highly recommend her.)  Veronica also remembered us, probably because it was the first time she had a client try to die of heat stroke and dehydration on her.

To get the suspense out of the way, it was twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler than in 2022, and we were able to complete the tour without me dying.

To me, the two most fascinating parts of the Duomo are touring the roof and seeing the amazing statue of St. Bartholomeo (a later post that you've probably already read). 

So we went up to the roof via lift and Veronica took us around.  It's worth just for the views of Milan, but also of the many statutes, gargoyles, and the flying buttresses (the Flying Buttresses would be a great name for a Christian rock band).

The Duomo has approximately 3,500 statues on it -- some big, some small.

(Editor: Did you count them?  Writer: No, I believe Veronica.  Editor: Well, I may have to go to Milan to fact check that number by counting myself.  Writer: You're an editor, I doubt you can count that high!)

Construction of the Duomo began in 1386, and wasn't considered finished until 1965.  For over 400 years the public could not go onto the rooftop -- it was for workers only.  

I've got a bunch of good photos from the roof.  I'm going to put my two favorites here so that readers don't just blitz past them in the string of photos.

I love the way this statue stands

sentry over modern Milan.  I

hope you think it is cool too.

The moon next to La Madonnina.

The Virgin Mary is the symbol of

the city, is the only gilded statue,

and stands 330 feet above the

bottom of the Duomo.

(For those bad at science, which

includes me, the moon isn't

next to La Madonnina, that's

just the angle I took the photo

from to get that effect.)

Anyhow, to me, the rooftop (and the front facade) make the Duomo special.  

From the lower side terrace, we went up even higher -- a beautifully carved staircase offering views of the Piazza del Duomo that takes people up to the rooftop.  At that point, we're directly above the nave, fenced in for safety by marble topped by arches and pinnacles featuring crosses at the top.  

Further above us, there are spires and saints in cages (I don't think the cages are symbolic, but I don't know.  There are 135 total spires, all similar, but each one different.  At the very top, we're 20 stories above the Piazza.

Oh, and I will leave you with a couple selfies from the roof: