Why go

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is the elegant covered street that links Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scala, and it is one of the finest pieces of 19th-century architecture in Europe. Designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and built between 1865 and 1877, it celebrated the new Kingdom of Italy and was named after its first king. Its two glass-roofed arms cross beneath an octagon crowned by a soaring iron and glass dome.

Milanese call it il salotto di Milano, the city’s living room. For more than 150 years it has been the place to meet, shop and be seen, and it remains free to walk through day and night.

What to see

  • The central dome. Look up at the glass cupola rising above the octagon, ringed by lunettes painted with allegories of the continents.
  • The floor mosaics. Coats of arms of Italian cities, including the bull of Turin, which visitors spin on for luck.
  • The historic cafés. Long-established cafés and pastry shops with marble counters and mirrored interiors.
  • The shopfronts. Luxury fashion houses and Milan’s oldest bookshops and jewellers behind carved wooden frontages.
  • The triumphal arch. The monumental entrance facing the Duomo, best seen from the cathedral steps.

Plan your visit

The Galleria is a public street, so there is no ticket and no closing time. Shops and cafés keep their own hours, generally from mid-morning into the evening, and many stay open on Sundays. The arcade is busiest from late morning to early evening, especially at weekends and during the December festivities, when a tall Christmas tree usually stands beneath the dome.

Half an hour is enough to walk the length of both arms and look up at the dome, but most people linger longer over coffee or window shopping. Café prices are high, particularly for table service, so standing at the bar is the cheaper way to enjoy the setting.

To understand the building’s history and its place in the city, a guided walking tour of the Duomo, the Galleria and La Scala is a good option, and many include skip-the-line entry to the cathedral.

Getting there

The southern entrance opens off Piazza del Duomo, steps from Duomo station on Metro lines M1 and M3. The northern end faces Piazza della Scala, where trams 1 and 2 stop, with La Scala opera house across the square.

Tips

Come early in the morning or after dinner to see the mosaics and architecture with fewer people. Keep an eye on bags in the crowds, and politely ignore anyone offering bracelets or birdseed. Combine the Galleria with the Duomo rooftop, La Scala museum and the Museo del Novecento, all within a five-minute walk.

Nearby

Just south of the Duomo end, Piazza dei Mercanti preserves the medieval heart of the city with the Palazzo della Ragione. To the north, beyond La Scala, Via Manzoni leads into the Quadrilatero della Moda, the fashion district around Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, and on into Brera. The Gallerie d’Italia, an art museum in former bank palaces on Piazza della Scala, is also worth an hour.