Today I bought a ticket to see Il Duomo. It is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente and is the largest church in Italy (you don’t count St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome because it is in Vatican City).
I visited inside the church, the archeology site and also climbed the 256 steps to the outdoor Terraces to see the view from the very top. It was an incredible day, made even better by the sunshine!
First a tour inside the church. It was impressive but I found it also very dark, in a figurative as well as literal sense.
While I was inside, I climbed down the stairs to visit the archeological area situated underneath the Cathedral. This area contains the remains of the Christian Baptistry of St. John (built in 387 and demolished in 1394), the remains of the Basilica of Santa Tesla (established in 350 under Roman Emperor Constans and demolished in 1458) and a former graveyard.
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Stairs to archeological site
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Archeological Site
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Baptistry
Finally I tackled those stairs and the views were simply stunning. Its construction started in 1386 and completed in 1932. It was consecrated in 1418 and 1577. How they managed to build such an incredibly ornate and large structure is incredible.
I returned in the evening to see the church lit up at night.
Il Duomo by night