Join our guide to climb up to the rooftops of the Duomo and step inside the cathedral. It is the perfect opportunity to discover Milan’s most significant monument admiring the whole city from above and exploring the ancient archeological site underground! 

Our guided tour to the roof terraces and the Duomo is the perfect opportunity to discover Milan’s most significant monument from every point of view: high up and underground!

The Duomo boasts over seven centuries of history. Commenced in 1386 and completed only in the 20th century, it is an unmissable stop in your Milanese staying: its imposing presence and sheer beauty are impossible to ignore.

We will meet in front of the Cathedral and take the lift to reach a breath-taking roof terrace of about 8,000 square meters. There, you’ll be able to admire 135 spires, pinnacles, flying buttresses and many statues. 

It is almost impossible to believe it, but the Duomo features about 3,400 statues! Designed and carved throughout the centuries, they portray a vast range of biblical and historical figures, gargoyles, animals, little monsters, dragons, faces, and puzzling silhouettes. 

And if you think that the Duomo is now complete, you’re wrong! New statues have been carved and installed in recent times to represent the city’s contemporary history.

Lastly, our guided tour will make us pause to pay homage to Milan’s most venerated statue: La Madonnina. Completed in 1774 and installed on the cathedral's highest spire, the gold plated statue of the Virgin has been protecting the city ever since. Even our Milanese unofficial anthem is dedicated to her!

In the second part of the tour you’ll also enter into the cathedral, which is an absolute masterpiece, a stunning architecture that took centuries to complete. In 1386, the first duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, commissioned the construction of this cathedral upon the ruins of two previous churches, Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla. 

Today the Duomo is the biggest church in Italy and the sixth biggest church globally. You’ll explore a place filled with history, art and faith, admiring fantastic stained glass, outstanding artworks, worshiped relics and unparalleled architectural solutions. Finally, you’ll explore the most hidden part of the cathedral: the ancient archeological area, which dates back to the Roman and medieval periods and which for centuries was a religious point of reference before the 1300s.

Moreover, did you know that the Duomo risked being destroyed? You'll discover how a series of aerial bombings severely damaged the cathedral in the summer of 1943 and how it miraculously survived the destruction, becoming ever more the symbol of Milan.

This tour is like no other. It will make you experience the Duomo deeply, taking you up to the very top and down to the ancient archeological site under the church. 

Know before you go:

 - Admission to the La Scala Museum allows you to see the Theatre from the third-level boxes, but only when rehearsals or events open to the public are not in progress. 

- Bare-backed and/or low-cut clothing, shorts, miniskirts, and hats are not allowed inside the Cathedral.

- It is not possible to enter the Cathedral with helmets, glass objects and luggage. 

Not allowed:

- Shorts/miniskirts

- Pets

- Smoking
- Luggage or large bags

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