Milan Duomo Roof Question

I am 70+ and did the roof last year. Generally I don't recall a problem, and do not like circular stairs at all so I think I would have remembered. You might check youtube to see if there is a video. It is a one way stairway down. You might check with a guide company that offers tickets and tours and ask them. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

I would send a query to:

[email protected]

https://www.duomomilano.it/en/contact/

I did the Milan Duomo roof tour this past September with a friend who had her knee replaced recently. Our guide just told the security officer that Madam had a bad knee and needed the elevator to go down. No problem, no questions. She was wearing a knee brace so that may have lent veracity. The rest of us walked. Which might have also lent veracity.

Re the stairs: they are one way - down. They are circular, I don’t t remember a rail but you can use the wall. There are some flat areas, but not many.

My recollection from September is that it was not a “circular” staircase in the traditional sense, but you went down some steps, there was a turn/landing, then some more steps and turn/landing, and so on. A lot of steps, but I’m quite sure there was a rail. The elevator is at the beginning of the path around the roof and “traffic” flows one way, You’d have to backtrack to return to the elevator, assuming they’d let you ride down.

We walked both ways last year -- it is one way up and one way down. One thing I noticed is that while there certainly are a lot of stairs nothing was particularly steep. There was one steep section going up once you are actually on the roof of about 10 steps (and I'm actually not sure if there was a handrail there), but coming down there's definitely a wall next to you the whole way.

I actually got some vertigo coming down, but a) that happens to me sometimes in small spaces and b) we had just gotten off a 10+ hour flight about 3-4 hours prior so my ears were still adjusting (which is also normal for me).

The roof was So Awesome. I'd suggest that you actually do some stair practice starting now (it's really not going to hurt) which will help prep you for simply walking around places anyway and will certainly help your confidence to visit the rooftop.

We were in Milan. We took the elevator up, and the stairs down. The stairs are not circular. The stairs are located in a tower, and are on a "4-square" pattern - 10 stairs, left turn, 10 stairs, etc.

It's about 100 ft up, so maybe 100 stairs in total down. My knees are not great, and I did not find it a problem. Wife and I are 70s as well. Those unable to walk can take the elevator down, but I do not know the criteria. When you purchase your tickets, you can ask how you get on the "down-elevator". It is one staircase going up, another going down.

In prepping for our trip, we walked 6000-7500 steps each day for 2-3 months. That's what you should do as well.

I would like to thank all those who responded so quickly and with great detail. Since reading your answers, I felt confident enough to book our tickets..

I also received an answer from the Duomo staff. They said:

“Indeed, you will be able to descend from the Terraces by lift by asking the lift personnel on your ride up. They need to know beforehand in order to organise the flow of visitors using the lift.”

One small correction. I counted 230 to 250 steps going down. :)