In the historic heart of Milan, Piazza del Duomo is the city's symbolic center, where civic life, faith and culture converge beneath the soaring facade of the Duomo di Milano. This Gothic masterpiece, begun in 1386 and completed over centuries, rises in pale marble spires and statues, its intricate carvings and the famed "Smiling Angel" bearing witness to generations of craftsmanship.

As the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics gather momentum, the square carries a new sense of anticipation. A countdown clock designed as a giant snow globe, swirling with artificial snow around digital timers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has become a favorite backdrop for photos, turning this centuries-old piazza into a meeting point between Milan's storied past and its Olympic future.