Is the rooftop tour for Milan’s cathedral open in October?! Tried to get tickets and they weren’t available and the website doesn’t say anything about them being closed during Oct?!
Posted by
North Carolina
2499 posts
It’s probably too early - you could try again once a month or so.
Posted by
Chicago
662 posts
Since tickets are not available past June 21st, it is almost certainly the case that the tickets
just aren't on sale yet.
You will need to monitor the site periodically to see when tickets go on sale. I don't know
if it's a day-by-day or if they release a block of dates all at the same time.
However, when I went last fall I got a ticket the day before. I suspect that you don't need
to be too worried about tickets selling out for a day. The Last Supper, that's potentially
different...
Posted by
NY
89 posts
If I may piggyback on this . . . I am wondering how physically challenging coming down the stairs from the rooftop is? We are typical 69 year olds - not disabled but not the best knees anymore and very slight balance problems. We really would love to see the rooftop but are worried about getting up there and not being able to get down. How many steps is it and does the descent involve a vertigo inducing spiral staircase? Are there handrails? Will they allow us to take the elevator down because of our age if we ask nicely? There is no information about this on the website. Another question: It does not seem possible to buy tickets for just the cathedral that do not include the rooftop. If you just want to see the cathedral do you not need tickets? Thanks for any information.
Posted by
Chicago
662 posts
You can definitely buy tickets for the cathedral that do not include the rooftop. Just
scroll down to the second row of ticket options.
https://ticket.duomomilano.it/en/categoria/biglietti/
As for the stairs, I didn't pay much attention to the descent and I am old also, so it
must not have been all that difficult. If I recall, it is stone stairs, reasonably spaced,
in a square (i.e, not spiral or zigzag).
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14830 posts
"I am wondering how physically challenging coming down the stairs from the rooftop is? We are typical 69 year olds - not disabled but not the best knees anymore and very slight balance problems. We really would love to see the rooftop but are worried about getting up there and not being able to get down. How many steps is it and does the descent involve a vertigo inducing spiral staircase? Are there handrails?"
Well, I am both older than you AND a height chicken. I was determined to go to the roof of the Duomo. The elevator only gets you so far. You then walk around the roof and ascend another longish staircase (maybe 30 steps?) that has stone tracery on one side to the highest point of the roof's access. It is flattish once you get up there but the stairs were worrisome for me. Coming back down I tried to time it so I could walk down behind some other folks so I did not have to look out to the front piazza. There was a rail on the left side going up and down.
The stairs to descend are new-ish and in an enclosed stairwell. There is a railing and landings at every floor so you can either rest or step aside so the faster folks can go by you. I did not find these hard at all but my height fear was not in play here, lol.
This video gives a look at the descending stairs which you can see are enclosed. I did not find a video of the open to air stairs that go up to the roof level. The video starts at the highest roof level so you can see there is plenty of flat space up there.