In 1774, a 13-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary was placed on the Duomo di Milano, then the tallest building in Milan. By tradition, this statue is the highest point in Milan. For centuries this meant no structure could be built taller than the Duomo. When a new 32-story skyscraper was completed in 1960, builders creatively sidestepped the tradition by placing a replica of the statue on the building’s top. By 2025, two more buildings have claimed Milan’s highest point, both topped with statues of the Virgin Mary.