Perspective view of one of the two arcades, barrel-vaulted in glass and cast iron, that cross under a glazed dome to form one of the world’s most elegant shopping malls, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. The Galleria, built from 1865 to 1877 to connect Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala, home to the Teatro alla Scala opera house, is named after the first monarch of the Kingdom of Italy. It houses some of the world’s best-known high-end fashion brands, as well as book and art dealers and some of the city’s oldest and finest restaurants.
Milan, Lombardy, Italy: perspective view along one of the two arcades, barrel-vaulted in glass and cast iron, that intersect at a central octagon under a glazed dome to form one of the world’s best-known and most elegant shopping malls, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, built between 1865 and 1877 to connect Piazza del Duomo, site of Milan Cathedral, and Piazza della Scala, home to the Teatro alla Scala opera house. The Galleria is Italy’s oldest active shopping gallery or mall. It was created in neoclassical style as part of the renewal and modernisation of the city centre following Milan’s liberation from Austrian control in 1859 and the Unification of Italy in 1861. It is named after the first king of the new Kingdom of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. The mall between the two piazzas runs for around 200m (656 ft). The central glass dome is about 17m (56 ft) high and about 37m (121 ft) in diameter. The arched glass and metal roof, which used 350 tonnes of metal, was one of the most innovative and challenging designs of its time. The four barrel vaults are each about (48 ft) wide and (28 ft) high. Architect Giuseppe Mengone (1829-77) did not live to see the Galleria’s success, as he accidentally fell to his death from the main cupola on the day before it opened. The Galleria today houses Italy’s best known high-end fashion brands, as well as shops selling haute couture, books and art and also some of Milan’s oldest and finest restaurants and cafés. It is often nicknamed ‘il salotto di Milano’ (the drawing room or living room of Milan) due to its role as a common meeting and dining place.
Size: 2715px × 4079px
Location: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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