Statues are seen in the so-called “Cemetery of Statues” at Cantiere Marmisti, the marble yard where marble from the Candoglia quarry is turned into ashlars, architectural and ornamental elements, sculptures and statues for Milan's Duomo cathedral, in Milan on December 11, 2024. This “special depository” houses sculptural works, statues, spires, and decorative or architectural elements that have reached the end of their life and can no longer remain on the Cathedral’s walls due to concerns about their integrity and safety. Marble workers of the "Venerable Factory of the Duomo of Milan" (Fabbrica del Duomo) are taking care of more than 3.000 statues and gargoyles sculpted in marble from Candoglia quarries in the Italian Alps. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)