Description of the attraction
Gallery Vittorio Emmanuele II is one of the oldest shopping centers in the world. It is located in a four-story double passage in Milan, and was named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. The gallery was designed in 1861 and built by the architect Giuseppe Mengoni in 1865-1877.
The shopping center consists of two passages with glass vaults, forming an octagon and "covering" the street that connects Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. The central part of the gallery is crowned with a glass dome. The Milan Gallery was once larger in size than its predecessors around the world, and its construction was an important step in the improvement of building technologies.
On the floor of the central octagon you can see four mosaics depicting the coats of arms of the three capitals of the Italian Kingdom (Turin, Florence and Rome) and the coat of arms of Milan. They say that if you stand with your right heel on the genitals of the bull depicted on the coat of arms of Turin, and turn around three times, it will bring good luck. This belief has played a disservice to the ancient mosaic - a hole has already formed in the place of the bull's genitals.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is often referred to as Milan's “drawing room” because it is an important meeting and strolling place for the city's residents. Today, the gallery houses luxury boutiques selling clothes, jewelry, books and paintings. There are also restaurants, cafes and bars here. Interestingly, some of the local cafes are some of the oldest in Milan. For example, Biffi Caffe, founded in 1867 by the royal pastry chef Paolo Biffi, the Savini restaurant or the classic Zucca Bar.
