Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery
Introduction
The Galleria de Vittorio Emanuele II (or Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, in Italian) is a unique building in Milan (Italy) formed by two perpendicular arches with a glass vault that intersect forming an octagon. It is located on the north side of Piazza del Duomo "Piazza del Duomo (Milan)"), connecting with Piazza della Scala. Its name comes from Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of unified Italy; The gallery was originally designed in 1861 and built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
The street is covered by glass arches and a cast-iron roof, a popular design for arcades during the 19th century, such as the Burlington Arcade in London, which was the prototype of large glass-enclosed shopping arcades, such as the Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels (opened in 1847), the "Passage" in St. Petersburg (opened in 1848), the Galleria Umberto I in Naples (opened in 1890) and the Budapest Gallery.
The central space is octagonal topped with a glass dome. The Milan Gallery is larger than its predecessors and is considered an important step in the evolution of the modern glass-enclosed shopping center, of which it was the direct precursor. Additionally, it is responsible for the use of the term “gallery” in the context of shopping centers. The use of the iron structure also inspired the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The Gallery connects two famous monuments of Milan: the cathedral or Duomo and the La Scala Theatre; but, the Gallery, is a milestone in itself.
This gallery was inspiration for the Gourmet Gallery") from the movie Wonka released at the end of 2023.[1].
Shops, restaurants and hotels
The Gallery is often nicknamed il salotto di Milano, or "the salon of Milan", due to its numerous shops and its importance as a meeting point for shopping and dining.[2].
More than 130 years after it opened, the four-story gallery includes elegant shops offering everything from haute couture and jewelry to books and paintings, as well as restaurants, cafes and bars. Directly connected to the Victor Emmanuel II Gallery, is the super-luxury Town House Galleria hotel, which offers the most exclusive (and most expensive) rooms and services in the city. The Gallery is famous for housing some of Milan's oldest establishments, such as the historic Café Biffi, founded in 1867 by Paolo Biffi, Her Majesty's Pastry Chef and (in 1882) the first café in Milan to install electric lighting,[3] the sophisticated Savini restaurant, the Bernasconi silver shop and the modernist "Modernismo (art)") bar Zucca.[4].