Last updated on .
Piazza del Duomo is at the heart of Milan’s historic center. It contains some of the city’s most important buildings and museums and is dominated by the iconic Duomo of Milan, which is covered in a separate post.
Introduction to Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo is rectangular in shape and covers 17,000 square meters (roughly 183,000 square feet). The square dates back to 1330, when Azzone Visconti (1302-1339) ordered the demolition of several taverns surrounding Milan’s cathedrals, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and Basilica of St. Thecla. This created Piazza dell’Arengario. None of the original buildings surrounding that square have survived.
Piazza del Duomo started to take shape first in 1386 with the demolition of the Episcopal Palace and the groundbreaking of the Duomo, and again in the late 18th century with the construction of the Royal Palace of Milan. The current shape dates back to the square’s enlargement between 1865 and 1873 by architect Giuseppe Mengoni (1829-1877), who demolished the entire neighborhood of the Rebecchino for the project.
Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
In the center of Piazza del Duomo is a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. He was the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century and held the title from 1861 to his death in 1878. The sculptor was Ercole Rosa (1846-1893), who began work in 1879 and died before it was complete. The Barzaghi brothers continued the project under the direction of the sculptor Ettore Ferrari (1849-1929). All in all, it took The monument was inaugurated on June 24, 1896.
The monument depicts Vittorio Emanuele stopping the horse before the bayonet attack in the Battle of Solferino on June 24, 1859, during the second Italian war of independence. The bronze statue stands on a base containing a relief depicting the arrival of Piedmontese troops into Milan after the Battle of Magenta. The date June 1859 on the front refers to the king’s entry into Milan.
The base rests on a white marble pedestal with two lions on the sides. Both lions have their front paws placed on a plaque, one engraved “Roma” and the other “Milano”.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
On the north side is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which was built between 1865 and 1877. It’s Italy’s oldest active shopping mall and was designed in the Neo-Renaissance style by Giuseppe Mengoni in 1861.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is filled with luxury retailers, upscale cafés and restaurants, and a hotel. In fact, some of the oldest shops and restaurants in the city are located there. It’s also a popular meeting place for locals. The main entrance on Piazza del Duomo is through a large triumphal arch.
Features of the Galleria
The Galleria consists of two barrel-vaulted glass and cast iron arcades intersecting at a glass octagonal dome. The arcade connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala is 196.6 meters long while the one connecting Via Foscolo to Via Pellico is 105.1 meters long. The vaults are approximately 14.5 meters wide and 29.2 meters high.
The dome is 39 meters in diameter and 47 meters high. On the floor underneath are four mosaics representing the coat of arms of Milan and the three capitals of the Kingdom of Italy, Turin, Florence, and Rome. The tops of the four walls are painted to represent the continents of America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They measure 15 meters wide by 7 meters high and were created by Raffaele Casnedi (1822-1892), Angelo Pietrasanta (1837-1876), Bartolomeo Giuliano (1825-1909), and Eleuterio Pagliano (1826-1903), respectively. The octagon was originally decorated with 25 plaster statues depicting important figures in Italian history but they were removed in 1891.
The ironwork was installed by the French architect Henry Joret (1825-1883) and amounts to roughly 393 tons of steel. The glass plates were made by French company Saint-Gobain. The roof was damaged during Allied bombing raids on August 15-16, 1943. The repairs involved making some modifications.
Leonardo3
Leonardo3, an interactive museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), is located at the north entrance on Piazza della Scala. It contains working models of his inventions and digital restorations of his paintings. Admission is €16 for adults, €12 for seniors age 65+ and students up to age 26, €10 for kids age 6-18, and free for kids under 6 (as of May 2025). It’s open daily and audio guides are available in eight languages.
Ferrari Store
Just outside the eastern entrance of the Galleria is the flagship Ferrari Store, which is fun to walk through. It’s full of Ferrari apparel and memorabilia spread out over three floors of retail space. The Formula 1 car on display is a replica of the one driven by Michael Schumacher to win the World Championship in 2002.
Palazzo Carminati
The west side of Piazza del Duomo is occupied by Palazzo Carminati. It was completed in 1867 as the home of Giacomo Cesati and takes its current name from a famous café. The building was famous for its advertisements, which began to appear in the 1920s. They were especially colorful in the 1960s and 70s, but were removed in 1999.
Palazzo dei Portici Meridionali
Continuing along the south side of the square is Palazzo dei Portici Meridionali. It was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni (1829-1877) and constructed in 1875. The arcade on the ground level matches that of the buildings on the north side, completing Mengoni’s vision for Piazza del Duomo. The five-story building contains roughly 8,000 square meters of floor space and has served residential, commercial, and administrative functions. In 2024, it was announced the palazzo would be converted to a luxury five-star hotel, which is yet to open (as of May 2025).
Palazzo dell’Arengario
Directly opposite the Galleria is the Palazzo dell’Arengario. It was built between 1936 and 1956 under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) and designed by Piero Portaluppi (1888-1967), Giovanni Muzio (1893-1982), Pier Giulio Magistretti (1891-1945), and Enrico Agostino Griffini (1887-1952). The main function was as a local government building from which Mussolini could address the people, but in the 1950s it was renovated to house municipal and provincial offices.
The two identical buildings were supposed to be connected by an arch to provide symmetry with the Galleria but it was never built. The façade contains four reliefs by Arturo Martini (1889-1947) while the portals were decorated by Giacomo Manzù (1908-1991). A LED screen was inaugurated on December 19, 2007.
The palazzo was restored in the 2000s and now hosts the 900 Museum (Museo del Novecento), which opened on December 6, 2010, and is dedicated to 20th century art. The museum is open daily except Mondays. Admission is €5 for adults, €3 for seniors age 65+ and visitors age 18-25, and free for kids under 18 (as of May 2025).
Royal Palace of Milan
South of the Duomo is the Royal Palace of Milan (Palazzo Reale di Milano), which was the seat of Milan’s government for several years. The palace was built between 1573 and 1598 and was completely renovated in the Neoclassical style by Giuseppe Piermarini (1734-1808) and Leopold Pollack (1751-1806). Work began in 1773 and was completed on June 17, 1778. The Court Theatre was once located there, but it burned down on February 26, 1776, prompting the construction of Teatro alla Scala.
In 1796, when Napoleon occupied Milan, the palace became the seat of his military command. Most of the furnishing were looted or auctioned off in 1799. In 1805, however, when Milan became the capital of Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy, the palace was restored and possibly surpassed its original splendor. Eugène de Beauharnais (1721-1824) was appointed viceroy and chose it as his residence. Andrea Appiani (1754-1817) frescoed the official rooms and a new block was constructed. After the Austrians took over and formed the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, the palace remained the seat of power.
In 1861, the Royal Palace of Milan became an official residence of the House of Savoy, the rulers of the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. It was used mostly for official ceremonies and receptions. The royal family sold it to the Italian State on October 11, 1919, on the condition it would be available for their use when necessary. Members of the family continued to live there until World War II.
The palace suffered heavy damage during an Allied bombing raid on August 15, 1943. The famed Hall of Caryatids was completely destroyed. Restoration began in 1947.
Museums at the Royal Palace of Milan
Since the 2000s, the building has been a cultural center with exhibitions and also hosts the Duomo Museum, which chronicles the history of the Duomo. The Royal Palace is open daily except Mondays. Admission for adults is €15 on a timed ticket or €17 on an open ticket, €13 for seniors age 65+ and visitors age 6-26, €10 for students under age 25 with a valid student ID, and free for kids under 6 (as of May 2025).
