Right next to Milan Cathedral is another tourist destination – the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Galleria is a covered shopping arcade built in the 19th century.
Directly on the Piazza del Duomo is one of the most beautiful shopping arcades in Europe, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Not only tourists meet here, but also the local chic crowd, who like to spend their money in the shops. Of course we had to pass by and take a look at the impressive architecture and the expensive shops.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
The building was designed by the architect Guiseppe Mengoni in 1864. A triumphal arch forms the entrance to the passage.
The passage consists of two corridors, 200 and 100 metres long, covered by a glass roof. This means that you can stroll here dry-footed even in bad weather or enjoy your coffee in one of the cafés.
In the middle of the passage is an octagonal square with a diameter of 39 metres. High above the square is a glass dome that is 47 metres high. It took 353 tonnes of steel to build the roof alone. Stand in the middle under the roof and look up. The view is breathtaking!
The floor is dominated by large mosaics depicting the coats of arms of Rome, Florence, Turin and Milan. At one point there is a small depression in the floor. Legend has it that you put your heel in there and turn in a circle. That brings good luck!
In the gallery you will find noble shops of posh brands like Prada, Versace or Gucci and some not exactly cheap cafés and restaurants. The Seven Stars Galleria Hotel is also located here. The hotel has 25 rooms and suites where you are pampered around the clock by a butler.
It is a “must” to stroll through this passage and take a look in the windows of the noble shops. Here, designers of distinction offer their creations. Whether you like them or not remains to be seen, but they are definitely expensive!
Unfortunately, I found the many scarf and mobile phone bar sellers really inappropriate and annoying. But if you ignore them, they usually don’t approach you either.
The passage is beautiful. The glass roof is simply imposing. I would have loved to lie down in the middle of the square and look up into the dome.
The stucco decorations on the walls and the marble floor make the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II look very noble.
Address:
Piazza del Duomo,
20123 Milan MI,
Italy
Opening hours:
daily 0-24 h
The shops and restaurants have their own opening hours!
Admission fee:
free
Leave a Reply