Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the oldest shopping centres in the world. It is located in a four-storey double passageway in Milan, and was named after Victor Emmanuele II, the first king of united Italy. The gallery was designed in 1861 and built by architect Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.
The shopping centre consists of two passageways with glass vaults forming an octagon and "covering" the street that connects Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. The central part of the gallery is topped by a glass dome. The Galleria di Milano was once larger than its predecessors around the world, and its construction was an important step in improving building technology.
On the floor of the central octagon can be seen four mosaics depicting the coats of arms of the three capitals of the Kingdom of Italy (Turin, Florence and Rome) and the coat of arms of Milan. It is said that if you stand with your right heel on the genitals of the bull depicted in the coat of arms of Turin and turn round three times, it will bring good luck. This belief has played a bad service for the ancient mosaic - in place of the bull's genitalia has already formed a hole.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is often called the "living room" of Milan because of the fact that it is an important meeting and walking place for the city's inhabitants. Today, the gallery features luxury goods boutiques selling clothes, jewellery, books and paintings. There are also restaurants, cafes and bars. Interestingly, some of the local cafes are among the oldest in Milan. For example, Biffi Caffe, founded in 1867 by the royal confectioner Paolo Biffi, Savini restaurant or the classic Zucca Bar.
