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## <center>***This story was started in 1386 by the first Duke of the city, Galeazzo Visconti III. It ended only around 1809.***</center>
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Milan's dome is the second largest church in the world, after St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It has been described as **one of the strongest Gothic buildings ever created.**
Built of marble extracted near Lake Maggiore, the church houses an impressive number of marble statues, 2245 in total, **the most famous of which is that of St. Bartholomew skinned** - a splendid lesson in anatomy by Marco d’Agrate 1562.
**The stone lacework, for which Italian craftsmen have always been appreciated and sought after, is very evident in the exterior tour of the dome. When the sky has that dark blue, common in north Italy, the white of the marble that stands out on it as a precious background, sparkles blindingly.**
The strong columns, decorated with beautifully crafted capitals, impress you from the entrance, justifying and giving meaning to the always admiring, often used comparison, **like the columns of a temple. The splendid stained glass windows give life to the church at certain hours, when the sun beats on them.**
I have no doubt that many have already visited the dome, some on guided tours. The internet is saturated with explanatory sites and countless photos, so this time I'm not going to tell too much about this priceless treasure of humanity. Whoever wants, can easily find the details on the net.
**I just want to give a few practical details:**
- **you can reach the Dome directly from the Central Station, using the M1 or M3 metro line and getting off at the Duomo station;**
- the ticket offices are located in an adjoining building, not at the entrance to the dome; the individual entrance ticket for an adult, only for visiting the church, costs five euros; there are various other ticket combinations;
- **people in advanced age, do not stay in that turn as if endless, but enter - very civilized - through a side gate, ask those at the entrance.**
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[MI](https://images.app.goo.gl/ybUc7MiMaRk4opbF6)
And an anecdotal detail: outside the dome, **look for the dinosaur on the wall to the right of the main entrance, about 2 meters above the ground.** Its body is more like that of a dog, but its head resembles that of a dinosaur or a dragon, with which the city of Milan has historical connections. **A huge snake, called biscione, is the symbol of the city.** The construction, which spanned a period of five centuries, makes it impossible to explain the motivation or when it was added.
## <center>***I have already said that there are countless photos of the dome on the internet. But I think that every photographer, even an amateur, wants to show the world the dome seen through his eyes. This time only from the outside.***</center>
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**Cannon EOS 5D Mark III
100mm ƒ/8 1/500s ISO 200
2019 Piazza del Duomo, Milano**
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