Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II stands in the centre of Milan, joining Piazza del Duomo, the cathedral square, with Piazza della Scala and the opera house. It is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of united Italy. The architect Giuseppe Mengoni designed it in 1861, and it was built between 1865 and 1877.

The gallery was one of the most ambitious iron and glass structures of its time, and it is the oldest shopping arcade in Italy still in use. Bombing in the Second World War damaged the roof, which has been repaired several times since, most recently with a full cleaning before Expo 2015. Its elegant cafés and shops earned it the nickname of Milan's drawing room.

Two arcades with arched glass roofs cross in the shape of a Latin cross and meet in a central octagon covered by a glass dome. The facades are decorated with stucco, statues and lunettes. The floor of the octagon is laid with mosaics of the coats of arms of four Italian cities: Turin, Florence, Rome and Milan. In the Turin mosaic, visitors spin on their heel on the bull's genitals for good luck, a habit that has worn a hole in the tiles, which were restored in 2017 and again in 2026.

The arcade is lined with luxury fashion houses, jewellers, bookshops and restaurants, as well as a hotel. Some of the oldest businesses are the Camparino bar, the Savini restaurant, Biffi Caffè and the Borsalino hat shop.

The gallery is a public passage, open to walk through at any hour, with shops and cafés keeping their own hours. The Duomo metro station on lines M1 and M3 is right outside. Coffee at the historic cafés is expensive, so check prices before sitting down.

How big is the Galleria? The two arcades are covered by glass barrel vaults about 14.5 metres wide and 8.5 metres high. Where they cross, the octagon rises under a glass and iron dome with an internal diameter of about 37.5 metres. Building work began with the laying of the first stone on 7 March 1865, and the arcade was finished in 1877. The Town House Galleria hotel occupies the upper floors.

The Galleria is owned by the City of Milan, which rents its shops by public tender, and long-standing tenants include Prada, whose first shop opened here in 1913. Rents are among the highest in Europe, and the city sets rules on shop fronts so the signage matches the building.

Making the visit. The arcades are busiest in the late afternoon and evening, when Milanese stop for an aperitivo. The Camparino bar at the Duomo entrance has served Campari since 1915. Walk through to Piazza della Scala to see Palazzo Marino, the city hall, and La Scala opposite.