Italy Guide
Lombardy and the lakes
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Address: between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala
The gaudily opulent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was designed in 1865 by Giuseppe Mengoni, who was killed when he fell from the roof a few days before the inaugural ceremony. The galleria was designed as a covered walkway between the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala to the north; nicknamed the "salotto" – or drawing room – of Milan, it used to be the focal point for the parading Milanese on their passeggiata. These days, visitors rather than locals are more likely to swallow the extortionate prices at the gallery's cafés, which include the historic Zucca, with its glorious 1920s tiled interior at one end, and the newer, stylish Gucci Café – the label's first foray into catering – at the other. Shops, too, are aimed at visitors to the city, with top designer labels sitting next to pricey souvenir outlets. Somehow, however, the galleria still manages to retain most of its original dignity, helped along by quietly elegant boutiques selling handmade leather gloves or carefully turned hats, and the handsome eighty-year-old Prada shop in the centre.