MILAN, ITALY — As America prepares to celebrate the country's 250th birthday, Italy provided a reality check on history.
Milan's stunning Duomo was under construction in 1386. Long before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, work had begun on the Milan Duomo. And it would remain under construction for 600 years.
"Italians like their coffee, so they took a lot of breaks, that's why it took so long," joked one of the Duomo guides named Marius.
"No, Milanos went through many different situations, famine, war, poverty, instability and the sheer size of the cathedral as well," he added.
The Duomo plaza is not usually as crowded in winter, he notes, but the Olympics have drawn many tourists who have come to see the magnificent marble structure and take selfies.
Marius pointed out something else interesting. One of the statues in the Duomo's front, La Legge Nuova, resembles the Statue of Liberty, though this one holds a cross.
This statue predates the Statue of Liberty by about 70 years and is said to have inspired it.
"The sculptor (Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi) was known to visit here often," Maris said.
The finishing touches were the Duomo grand doors, completed in 1965.
"It's a one-of-a-kind cathedral …They wanted to put Milan on the map of the world with the construction of the cathedral," Maris said.t, much like Temple Square is the center of Salt Lake's street grid.
That similarity aside, the history of this cathedral is unsurpassed.
"It's a one-of-a-kind cathedral … They wanted to put Milan on the map of the world with the construction of the cathedral," Maris said.
