The Gothic Duomo, with its white-and-green-banded facade, contains a key early-medieval treasure, the Corona Ferrea (Iron Crown), fashioned according to legend with one of the nails from the Crucifixion. Charlemagne, King of the Franks and the first Holy Roman Emperor, saw it as a symbol of empire, and he was not alone. Various other Holy Roman emperors, including Frederick I (Barbarossa) and Napoleon, had themselves crowned with it. It's on show in the chapel (from Tuesday to Sunday) dedicated to the Lombard queen Theodolinda.
Duomo
The Italian Lakes
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.58 MILES
Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, is hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle…
9.21 MILES
A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan's extravagant Gothic cathedral, 600 years in the making, aptly reflects the city's creativity and ambition. Its…
8.23 MILES
Behind striking Renaissance-revival black-and-white walls, Milan’s wealthy have kept their dynastic ambitions alive long after death with grand sculptural…
8.8 MILES
Located upstairs from one of Italy’s most prestigious art schools, this gallery houses Milan’s collection of Old Masters, much of it ‘lifted’ from Venice…
8.84 MILES
A stroll around the Quadrilatero d'Oro, the world's most famous shopping district, is a must even for those not sartorially inclined. The quaintly cobbled…
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23.48 MILES
One of the Italian Renaissance's most notable buildings is the splendid Certosa di Pavia. Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan founded the monastery, 10km north…
9.12 MILES
Originally a Visconti fortress, this iconic red-brick castle was later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty, who ruled Renaissance Milan. The castle's…
9.27 MILES
Overlooking Piazza del Duomo, with fabulous views of the cathedral, is Mussolini's Arengario, from where he would harangue huge crowds in his heyday. Now…
Nearby The Italian Lakes attractions
0.02 MILES
Religious art museums are often dull, full of faded priestly vestments and tarnished silver that hasn’t been polished since the Risorgimento. But this…
0.62 MILES
The ‘Royal Gardens’ run to a modest 40 hectares and couch the Villa Reale in a sea of artfully cultivated greenery. They were one of Northern Italy's…
0.69 MILES
In Monza's colossal park stands this equally colossal palace. Built between 1777 and 1780 as a viceregal residence for Archduke Ferdinand of Austria,…
1.87 MILES
This enormous park is the green lung of the city; it's also one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe, with some 295 hectares of bello bosco (charming…
5.13 MILES
This stunning, multipurpose exhibition space inhabits a huge former locomotive factory on the outskirts of Milan. Temporary exhibits include smartly…
7.55 MILES
Annually, nearly 100 million people pass through these hulking portals and onto train platforms beneath a cinematic cylindrical glass roof. Begun in 1912…
7. Santuario di Santa Maria alla Fontana
7.57 MILES
Originally situated in a bosky wood, this sanctuary once enclosed a pool of healing thaumaturgical water, frequented since ancient times by the old, tired…
7.72 MILES
Construction began in 1956 on Milan’s tallest grattacielo (skyscraper). The 32-storey Pirelli Tower sits on the site of the company’s 19th-century factory…