This statue with the features of a soldier is dedicated to the Milanese. Milan has seen the passing of many warriors who over the centuries have been the undisputed protagonists of the city and its changes. Among the first noteworthy adventurers is Squarcino Borri, a very faithful captain who served Ottone Visconti in the battle of Desio. Then came the tumultuous years that saw the Sforzas and the Viscontis competing for control of the city, and the captains of the time changed sides several times, as their profession required. One of the most important Milanese leaders was certainly Bartolomeo Colleoni also known as the “defender of Milan” despite the fact that he failed to stop the advance of the Sforza. Even more famous was Carmagnola, who helped Filippo Maria Visconti at regaining power but then, having passed to the Venetians, he discovered himself playing a double agent in favor of the Milanese and for this he was beheaded. And then other captains and other adventures will come in the years in which Milan was shaking under the Austrian weight moving towards the unification of Italy, up to the leaders who courageously defended the city from internal and external enemies in the twentieth century. The Cathedral under construction has seen dozens of captains, banners and loot pass by.

Tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

The original statue of the Armed Warrior was created by the sculptor Giuseppe Perego. What can be admired today on the G61 spire is a reproduction dating back to around 1953, and comes with some small variations: it is also equipped with armour, armor and a conspicuous plume, an element that denotes it as a graduate. The left-handed hand is not raised while grasping an iron spear, as in Perego’s work, but rests on the hilt of a sword, while the right hand is closed in a fist at the side. Some archive documents dated to 1788 in fact speak of an armed warrior with his hand raised, testifying to the formal composition of the original statue.