The gallery of Victor Emanuel II (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II) in Milan, the construction of which lasted from 1865 to 1877, was one of the first passages in the world. The passage was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, the author of the Duomo Square project. Unfortunately, the architect did not see the opening of his creation, the day before the ceremony, Mengoni crashed to death, falling from building bridges.
Victor Emmanuel II
The gallery is named after King Victor Emanuel II, despite the fact that the project was originally named after the Emperor Franz Joseph (Francesco Giuseppe I d'Austria). The fact is that for Italians, Victor Emmanuel II became the man who united Italy. In the 40s of the XIX century, Italy consisted of 8 monarchies, part of the land belonged to France, Germany and Austria, and Italy did not even have its own army. Despite the severity of the situation, King Victor achieved the unification of Italian lands on favorable conditions for the country, while maintaining the Constitution intact. Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty became the first king of a united Italy, and a statue of the ruler was mounted on a horse in the Cathedral Square.
Two interesting stories are connected with the name of King Victor Emanuel. The first concerns legends about its origin. With his habits and appearance, the king did not at all resemble a person of royal blood. In the summer of 1822, a fire broke out in the bedroom of the little Prince Victor Emanuel, in which the heir's nanny died and the child survived. Rumors circulated that the Crown Prince had died and was replaced by the son of the butcher Gaetano Tiburzi, since soon after the fire the butcher had a house next to the royal residence, then another, and by 1888 Tiburzi already owned 43 houses. The public wondered if the butcher had received money from the king in exchange for his son?
Another story tells about the appearance of the famous Margarita pizza. In 1889, Victor Emanuel rested with his son-king and his wife Margarita of Savoy near Naples. The queen deigned to taste pizzas, which shocked the court chef - he simply did not know how to cook the poor. Then the servants brought from the usual pizzeria a treat for the queen - three pizzas, including one with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, which the queen appreciated the most. The owner of the pizzeria did not miss the opportunity and advertised his pizza called "Margarita" - in honor of the Queen.
Architecture
The cross-shaped gallery with an octagonal center is crowned with a 47-meter-high dome - the first combination of glass and metal in Italy. Under the dome around the center there are arches with images of 4 parts of the world: Europe, Asia, America and Africa.
Raffaele Casnedi, professor of design at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di belle arti di Brera) made a mural depicting America - with a feather-decorated head, sitting between Native Americans and African-American slaves.
Drawing of Asia was done by Cassedi’s pupil, Bartolomeo Giuliano: Asia languidly sits on his throne, taking gifts from the locals.
Angelo Pietrasanta worked on the image of Europe, which appears in the image of a woman with a heavy look, surrounded by science tools guarded by a winged genius with laurel wreaths in her hands.
Artist Eleuterio Pagliano portrayed Africa as an Egyptian woman sitting next to a lion and receiving the rich gifts of the Nile.
The walls under the arches and along the corridors are decorated with plaster statues of 24 famous Italians by Pietro Magni. The arches in front of each exit are decorated with frescoes symbolizing Industry, Science, Art and Agriculture. Enamelled flooring is a masterpiece of Venetian craftsmen. The coat of arms of the House of Savoy is laid out on the floor under the mosaic dome - a white cross on a red background, and around it are the coats of arms of Milan, Rome, Florence and Turin. By the way, an interesting belief is connected with the emblem of Turin - a bull on a blue background. It is believed that if you step on the genital organ of the bull with your right heel and turn around yourself, you will find luck and prosperity.
Mecca of shopaholics
Today in the passage there are more than 30 boutiques of world brands - Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Prada. Here you can eat in luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants and relax at the 5-star Townhouse Seven Stars Galleria, which overlooks the passage. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II has its own small McDonald's and the Zucco cafe, the owner of which invented the bitter Campari liqueur.
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You can walk around the gallery and admire the architectural masterpiece even after the boutiques are closed, when there are almost no people in the gallery.
- Address: Piazza del Duomo, Duomo metro station, 1 line. Passage is located between Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) and La Scala Square (Piazza della Scala).
Shops are open from 10:00 to 22:00, and the gallery itself is open around the clock.
- Official gallery website: www.ingalleria.com
