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Here is a new article from our Blog: today we are talking about the Duomo of Milan, the third largest cathedral in the world.
A triumph of marble and statues, spiers and pinnacles, a feast for all the eyes , regardless of religion.
Majestic and solemn, it has occupied the square that bears the same name since the 14th century: it will take five centuries of work to complete it.
But where does the marble it is made of come from? From far away: more than 100 km from the city are the Candoglia quarries, located near Lake Maggiore.
The Lord of Milan at the time, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, granted the Fabbrica del Duomo the use of marble until construction was accomplished. The journey from Candoglia to Milan, long and full of dangers, soon became a journey on water: thanks to the lake, the Ticino river and the canals ,the marble blocks reached their destination in just 18 hours. Of course, no duties were paid! It was a sacred mission, and each block was stamped with the inscription: AUF ad usum fabricae, that is: for the Duomo factory. This gave rise to a funny Milanese expression, which is well known to those who still speak the local dialect, which indicates the term AUF as the equivalent of ” for free”!
