Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Italy's oldest active shopping arcade — two glass-vaulted arcades crossing under an iron and glass dome, linking the Duomo to La Scala.
The mall, before malls
Giuseppe Mengoni designed it in 1861 and it was built between 1865 and 1877, named for Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a united Italy. Two glass-vaulted arcades cross in an octagon under a glass dome roughly 37.5 metres across, and the whole structure runs between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala — so the cathedral and the opera house are joined by a covered street. It is Italy's oldest active shopping arcade, and it is one of the buildings the modern enclosed shopping centre is descended from.
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What there is to see
Look up, then look down.
🏛️ The dome
- Iron and glass, about 37.5 metres of internal diameter over the central octagon
🐂 The mosaic floor
- Coats of arms of Turin, Florence and Rome — Italy's three former capitals — and of Milan
- Tradition says spinning three times on the bull of Turin's arms brings luck; it has worn a hole in the mosaic, repaired in 2017 and again in 2026
🚶 The cross-plan
- Two arcades meeting at right angles, so the building is a crossroads rather than a corridor
Getting there
You will walk through it whether or not you meant to.
🧭 Position
- Off the northern side of Piazza del Duomo, emerging at Piazza della Scala
When to go
Covered, so weather is not the variable — crowds are.
🕰️ Time of day
- Early morning or late evening for the architecture; midday it is a thoroughfare
Before you go
It costs nothing to walk through.
💡 On site
- The arcade is public; the shops and cafés under it are emphatically not budget
Close by
Both ends of the arcade.
Frequently asked
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