The Galleria: 150 Years of Dolce Vita in Milan!
Connecting two of the most important monuments of Milan: the Duomo and Teatro La Scala, The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
is an important landmark in its own right. Housed within a four-story
double arcade the Galleria is named after Vittorio Emanuele II, the
first king of the Kingdom of Italy, it was designed in 1861 (the year of
the unification of Italy under said monarch) and built by Giuseppe
Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
Connecting two of the most important monuments of Milan: the Duomo and Teatro La Scala, The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
is an important landmark in its own right. Housed within a four-story
double arcade the Galleria is named after Vittorio Emanuele II, the
first king of the Kingdom of Italy, it was designed in 1861 (the year of
the unification of Italy under said monarch) and built by Giuseppe
Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
The structure consists of two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in
an octagon covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza
della Scala. The street is covered by an arching glass and cast iron
roof, a popular design for 19th-century arcades, such as the Burlington
Arcade in London. The central octagonal space is topped with a glass
dome.
The Milanese Galleria was larger in scale than its predecessors and
was an important step in the evolution of the modern glazed and enclosed
shopping mall, making it the first of its genre.
A must see today, the Galleria however gained an important role in
Milanese society almost from its opening. With its shops, bars,
restaurants and beautiful surroundings, the Galleria soon became a
gathering point for Milanese society where to enjoy a brief coffee, an
aperitivo and shopping.
As well as its architecture, the landmark shops within the Galleria
contributed to its status, with Caffè Ristorante Biffi, the first locale
to open and Savini following suit, the strolling, gossiping and
enjoying typical Milanese cuisine became a must under the glass dome of
the Galleria. The popularity of the latter for example continues today,
with tourists now taking their seats where Maria Callas, Luchino
Visconti, Charlie Chaplin, Totò, and Grace Kelly once dined.
Another illustrious Italian brand, one synonymous with the aperitivo
also owns its popularity to the Galleria. Campari, originally born in
Novara became a classic of the aperitivo scene once the family opened
their bar in the Galleria. Here the Fernet Campari, Bitter and Cordial
Campari were born in the Zucca caffè.
The galleria was not only a place to go dine and drink though, it
offered much more. Its retail spaces were occupied by the likes of
Bocca, which opened in the Galleria at the end of the 19th century, the
same bookstore which printed and distributed Carbonari Silvio Pellico’s
controversial book “Le mie prigioni” in 1832.
Shopping too was one of the highlights of the Galleria, with
Borsalino, the iconic hat makers drawing in the gentlemen and as of 1913
Prada opened its first retail space (which it still holds) attracting
hoards of Milanese with their trunks, bags and accessories. Prada is one
of the main sponsors of the extensive renovation the Galleria is being subjected to for its 150th birthday.
In keeping with the history and fortunes of the country as a whole
and the city, the Galleria mirrored the changing fortunes, and thus
suffering greatly in popularity in the wake of the Second World War.
With the desire of modernity came new hip places to be seen and to shop
in Milan, like Via Montenapoleone and Via Spiga, and thus the mosaics of
the Galleria were no longer tread, and the tables at Savini were
deserted.
Soon, however, again in keeping the traditional cycle endured by
Italy, the Galleria and Savini returned to the fore, becoming once more
the best locations in Milan, with Prince Ranieri and Grace Kelly on date
night, Maria Callas enjoying her post show dinners, Frank Sinatra and
Charlie Chaplin dining shoulder to shoulder.
Though the Galleria has moved with the times, even housing a
McDonald’s restaurant for 20 odd years, it remains a mainstay in the
Milanese culture, being not only a traditional tourist attraction (when
in Milan you must pivot on the bull’s private parts to bring you luck),
but also a landmark where the goings on of the city, from the Giro
d’Italia to fashion shows and even being included in a memorable Luca
Ronconi rebdition of Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims at La Scala continue
to unfold.
In its 150th year, with an extensive renovation and in influx of
prestige coming back to Milan thanks to the World Expo 2015, the history
of the Milanese drawing room is all but over, with plenty more chapters
still to come.
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