Piazza del Duomo ("Cathedral Square") is the main ''
piazza'' (city square) of
Milan,
Italy. It is named after, and dominated by,
Milan Cathedral
Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...
(the ''Duomo''). The piazza marks the center of the city, both in a geographic sense and because of its importance from an artistic, cultural, and social point of view. Rectangular in shape, with an overall area of 17,000 m
2 (about 183,000 sq ft), the piazza includes some of the most important buildings of Milan (and Italy in general), as well some of the most prestigious commercial activities, and it is by far the foremost tourist attraction of the city.
While the piazza was originally created in the 14th century and has been gradually developing ever since (along with the Duomo, which took about six centuries to complete), its overall plan, in its current form, is largely due to architect
Giuseppe Mengoni, and dates to the second half of the 19th century. The monumental buildings that mark its sides, with the main exception of the Duomo itself and the
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- Massa ...
, were introduced by Mengoni's design; the most notable of Mengoni's addition to the piazza is the
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade.
History
The origins of Piazza del Duomo can be traced back to the vision of
Azzone Visconti
Azzone Visconti (7 December 1302 – 16 August 1339) was lord of Milan from 1329 until his death. After the death of his uncle, Marco Visconti, he was threatened with excommunication and had to submit to Pope John XXII. Azzone reconstituted his fa ...
(
lord of Milan from 1329 to 1339). In 1330, Azzone ordered the demolition of the taverns that circled the two central churches of Milan of the time, the ''Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore'' and the ''Basilica of Santa Tecla'', to create a market square, called "Piazza dell'Arengo", which is the first incarnation of what is now Piazza del Duomo. The piazza was named after the
arengario
In Italy, an arengario (also spelled arrengario or arengo; pl.: ''arengari'', ''arrengari'', ''arenghi'') is a government building in various historic periods. The word comes from the verb "arringare" ("to address"), as arengari usually have balcon ...
(also known as the "broletto"), i.e., the seat of the local government. None of the original buildings of Piazza dell'Arengario has survived.
Azzone's successor
Gian Galeazzo Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti (16 October 1351 – 3 September 1402), was the first duke of Milan (1395) and ruled the late-medieval city just before the dawn of the Renaissance. He also ruled Lombardy jointly with his uncle Bernabò. He was the foundi ...
further enlarged the piazza, ordering the demolition of the bishop's house (in 1385) and the baptistery ''San Giovanni alle Fonti'' (in 1387). In the following decades, nevertheless, the piazza did not develop much, but one of the two ''basilicae'', Santa Maria Maggiore, was demolished, as the works for the construction of the Duomo had begun. In 1458,
Pope Pius II granted
Francesco Sforza and the
Veneranda fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano ("Venerable Factory of the Duomo of Milan") is a 600-year-old organization that was established to supervise the construction of the Cathedral of Milan (the "Duomo"). The organization is still active and ...
(the company that was responsible for the construction of the Duomo) the authorization to demolish Santa Tecla to create a larger square that would fit the Duomo's majesty. Somewhat preposterously, the basilica was partially rebuilt in the following years, to be demolished again in the mid-16th century.
The next major modification of the piazza occurred in the second half of the 18th century, when architect
Giuseppe Piermarini thouroghly redesigned the former arengario into the modern
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- Massa ...
; a side effect of Piermarini's design was that of creating another smaller piazza, adjacent to Piazza del Duomo, and thus actually enlarging the open space area.
In the 19th century, architect Giulio Beccaria was hired by
Ferdinand I of Austria to redesign the piazza again. Beccaria's main contribution to the urban planning of the area was the construction of
the palace that thereafter would serve as the headquarters of the Fabbrica del Duomo, located to the south-east of the cathedral.
A major twist in the piazza's evolution came about after the
Second Italian War of Independence (1859). In 1860, the government of the city proclaimed the intention to radically redesign the piazza and to create a new major avenue to celebrate King
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. Several architectural design competitions followed, whereby the plan of the new piazza gradually took place. The restructuring was eventually commissioned to architect
Giuseppe Mengoni, and the works began in 1865. From 1865 to 1873, based on Mengoni's design, the piazza was first enlarged (an entire neighborhood, the "
Rebecchino
The Rebecchino was a historic neighborhood of Milan, Italy, located in the immediate surroundings of Milan's Cathedral, in what is now Piazza del Duomo. The neighborhood was demolished in the second half of the 19th century to allow for the thor ...
", was demolished for this purpose, as well as the popular porticated building called
Coperto dei Figini
The Coperto dei Figini was a Renaissance portico, porticoed building located in what is now Piazza del Duomo, Milan, Piazza del Duomo, the central square in Milan, Italy. The construction began in 1467 on a design by architect Guiniforte Solari ( ...
) and then acquired most of its modern landmarks, including the
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade (built in 1864–1867) and the two "Palazzi dei Portici" ("Portico Palaces") that mark its southern and northern boundaries.
Mengoni's work, in any case, was not hitchless. The company that was responsible for the works, City of Milan Improvements Company of
London, eventually experienced financial problems, so that the government of Milan had to take charge. Part of the area of the Galleria was sold to private owners, with the obligation to complete the works according to Mengoni's design. In 1875, when the two Portico Palaces were finally completed, new funding problems endangered the realization of the two triumph arches that were included in the design; Mengoni eventually decided to fund the construction himself. When Mengoni died in 1877, only one of the arches, the one at the entrance of the Galleria, was completed; the construction of second arch was abandoned. Mengoni actually died in Piazza del Duomo, falling from a scaffolding while he was supervising the works.
In 1896, the statue of
King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy was inaugurated in the centre of the piazza. This marked the completion of the restructuring initiated by the city authorities in 1860.
The last major change to the piazza occurred during the
Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
era, when the
Arengario
In Italy, an arengario (also spelled arrengario or arengo; pl.: ''arengari'', ''arrengari'', ''arenghi'') is a government building in various historic periods. The word comes from the verb "arringare" ("to address"), as arengari usually have balcon ...
was built in the place where Mengoni had planned to create a second triumph arch, opposite across the square to the Galleria. The Arengario had the main purpose of letting the local
podestà (or
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
himself) make speeches to the population; it now houses a museum on 20th-century art.
It will host the closing ceremony of the
2026 Winter Paralympics
The 2026 Winter Paralympics ( it, Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2026), officially known as the XIV Paralympic Winter Games, and commonly known as Milano-Cortina 2026, is an international winter multi-sport event for disabled athletes that is ...
.
Monuments
* The
Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral)
* The
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
* The
Palazzo dell'Arengario
The Palazzo dell'Arengario is a Fascist-era complex of two symmetrical buildings in Piazza del Duomo, the central piazza of Milan, Italy. It was completed in the 1950s and currently houses the Museo del Novecento, a museum dedicated to 20th-ce ...
* The
Palazzo Carminati
Palazzo Carminati ("Carminati Palace") is the palace facing the Milan Cathedral (i.e., the "Duomo") on the West side of Piazza del Duomo, the central plaza of Milan, Italy. The palace is named after a famous Cafè, the Carminati. It was built in ...
* The Palazzo dei Portici Settentrionali
* The Palazzo dei Portici Meridionali
* The
Royal Palace of Milan
* The Monument to
King Victor Emmanuel II
Gallery
File:DSC02627 - Milano - Piazza Duomo - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 15-jan 2007.jpg, The Piazza in 2007
File:Duomo Milano Natale.jpeg, The square during the Christmas holidays (2008)
File:Fale - Milano - 32.jpg, One of the arcades in the square
File:DSC08108 - Milano - Palazzo Reale dal tetto del Duomo - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 18-jul-2003.jpg, The courtyard of the Royal Palace of Milan
File:3535 - Milano - Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 22-Jun-2007.jpg, The monument to King Victor Emmanuel II flocked by pigeons.
File:013MilanoArcivescovado.JPG, The Arcivescovado
File:Piazza Duomo (Milan) E1.jpg, The Palazzo Carminati
Palazzo Carminati ("Carminati Palace") is the palace facing the Milan Cathedral (i.e., the "Duomo") on the West side of Piazza del Duomo, the central plaza of Milan, Italy. The palace is named after a famous Cafè, the Carminati. It was built in ...
and the square
File:Tourists around Victor Emanuelle II monument in Piazza del Duomo, Milan.jpg, The Monument to King Victor Emmanuel II and the Palazzo Carminati behind it.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piazza Del Duomo, Milan
Tourist attractions in Milan
Piazzas in Milan
Odonyms referring to a building
Odonyms referring to religion
Venues of the 2026 Winter Olympics