Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

How can you arrive at a place and not even recognise it's reception room? Well, this is how it is when you visit the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Designed and constructed by Giuseppe Mengoni during the Belle Époque, today the gallery is considered the oldest shopping centre in the world.

View of the Gallery from the Duomo di Milano balcony.

Designed in the form of a cross, it's covered by a glass dome and has many frescos and architectural details on its walls. It was made in order to connect the Piazza Del Duomo to the Piazza Della Scala, and got its name from the first king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II.

Entrance to the Gallery from the Piazza Del Duomo.

Central dome

Exit that leads to the Piazza Della Scala.

Curiosities:

• The gallery was designed in 1861 and constructed between 1865 and 1877 by Giuseppe Mengoni. The designer was chosen by the city, through a competition in which 176 other architects participated. However, on the 30th December 1877, Giuseppe died after falling from the gallery's dome during an inspection. There are rumours that his death was actually suicide, brought on because of criticism about the gallery and because of the fact that the king Vittorio Emanuele II had not even seen the structure. However, what no one knew was the the king was ill, and died a little while after, on 9th January 1878.
• The gallery resists the passing of time, with its details extremely well preserved. It only needed to be reformed after attacks suffered during the Second World War.
• In Milan there is a tradition that, supposedly, visiting the gallery brings good luck. The floor is made of mosaics; in the middle of the floor, in the central dome, the tiles have a bull design. You have to step on the "intimate parts" of the animal with your right heel, and spin around. Who wants to try...

Even after this historic introduction, it's worth remembering that Milan is a city of fashion! And it's in this gallery that you'll find the most important shops in the city. The Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II mixes ancient architecture with class and a boast of big brands.

Prada.

Louis Vuitton.

Gucci.

Futura Giorgio Armani.

Swarovski.

Mercedes Benz

And something you can't miss... Tim?

You also can't neglect (if you do, you wouldn't be Italian) the restaurants "in the middle of the road". With a very charming structure, always! Throughout the gallery there are various restaurants, it's worth checking out some of them and sitting outside to watch the action. Don't worry, no one is going to come past and bump into your table (only the close ones) but, it's one of the best ways to feel like a true Italian!

There is always lots going on in the gallery, like tourists taking photos all the time. This can be considered a downside for those living there, who just want to go shopping without thousands of people bumping into them. But anyway, I believe that there is nothing that could spoil this architectural gem.

Exhibition of sculptures.

And if you are wondering how to visit Milan has in just 2 days, check out our complete guide with which planning you trip will be much easier!

As everyone knows that place is one of the "must see" places in Milan. So most of us already know where it is. It's opposite to Duomo. So you can see and Duomo and the Galeria in the same day. You can wait for the queue to enter in Duomo and then you can visit Galeria to eat and drink something.

If you are new in Milan you could see the "Info Desk" inside the galerie, whose working people are very kind and helpful. You can use the toilet and the free Wi-Fi in the McDonald's inside the galerie. I think it's the best thing about there. Also you can take like a thousand of photos inside and try to capture one with no people at the background; it's impossible. But you can grab a wine and some snacks at the restaurant which is in the middle and you can ask someone to take a picture of you. It's going to be amazing.

And also, if you leave the galerie through the gate which is opposite to the entrance gate, you could see a park where you can relax for a while. You have free Wi-Fi there, as well. You can have an ice-cream inside the galerie, because the prices are very low despite the fact that it is a touristic place. You can spend some money to have your lunch in there. It's not going to be too much.

Enjoy!

Source

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a must visit in Milan. It showcases the grandeur of Milan with all its style, class and fashion. When you go to the Duomo of Milan, you can't miss the Galleria as it is next to this Cathedral. But there is many more to visit and to see. When you check this list https://www.meetthecities.com/guide/milan/milan-activities-best-places-sightseeing/ you will have a good first impression of the places you should see to understand the beauty and the culture of Milan.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is located in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy (right next to the Duomo Cathedral).

This gallery is famous for its beauty. I didn't know that it was a shopping centre, I thought it was actually an art gallery and that you even would have to pay an admission fee from what I had seen of it in photos. To my pleasant surprise, you could come and go as you wish and it was actually full of shops, bars and restaurants.

The gallery consists of two large perpendicular corridors, and the most beautiful thing to look at is the glass dome that sits right in the middle of the gallery and acts as a meeting point between the four identical corridors.

It's not just the ceiling that is beautiful, however, as the walls that form part of the gallery are very elegant, which makes it seem like you aren't even in a shopping centre; it could, instead, be categorised as a luxury shopping gallery. Even if you are not going to buy anything, the gallery is still definitely worth visiting. In my honest opinion, this gallery, along with the Duomo, the Sforza Castle and Simplon Park, is one of the must see visits in Milan - the rest you can forget about. And, with it being situated in the Piazza del Duomo, which I am sure you will visit whilst in Milan, there is no excuse not to visit. You will certainly not regret it!

The exterior facade is also very elegant, especially the entrance, which has an arch shape that stands out. The "main" entrance would be that of the Piazza del Duomo, but the entrance at the other end is that of the Piazza della Scalla, which is famous for its theatre. And, finally, on the left-hand side of the gallery, there is a McDonalds and, very close by, the ice-cream parlours, Cioccolatitaliani and Luini, which sell the best ice-cream and panzerottis in the city.

If Milan is famous for fashion, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is the best place to spend an afternoon doing some luxury shopping, that is if you have a bank balance that will let you do so. You will find brands like Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani, to name but a few. There are also several restaurants with interior terraces, which seemed to be luxurious to me for their decoration, image and the uniform that the staff were wearing.

You can easily get here by taking the metro: the closest stop is “Duomo”, served by lines 1 and 4. However, if you are already in the centre of Milan, you will easily be able to get there on foot.