Gallery of Victor Emmanuel II – Passage of Milan, named in honor of King Victor Emmanuel II. Gallery connects the square in front of Milan cathedral, with an area in front of La Scala. Gallery in the plan has the shape of a Latin cross with an octagonal center, decorated with mosaics. On top of the gallery is covered with a dome of glass and iron.
Currently, Victor Emmanuel II Gallery is one of the tourist attractions of Milan. There are many famous shops (Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton), famous cafes and restaurants. The gallery hosts concerts and exhibitions.
The idea of a passage with shops appeared in France in 1798. People liked the idea because they are protected from the vagaries of weather, noise, dirt and other street and could walk freely, as in a shopping center.
Gallery is named in honor of King Victor Emmanuel II. Originally it was designed in 1861 and then built in 1865-1877 years by architect Giuseppe Mengoni. During the construction Mengoni fell from the scaffolding and died.
In the gallery there are two entrances. One entrance is located on the Piazza Duomo, the second – the theater of La Scala. Duomo – that is the famous Gothic cathedral.
Cathedral is dedicated to Virgin Mary and is the residence of the Archbishop of Milan. The construction of a Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries. This is the fourth the size of the church in the world.
Gallery is 32 meters high, made of 353 tons of iron (frame), and the octagonal frame of the roof is 47 meters.
In center of the gallery is a mosaic of a bull with the emblem of Turin. According to tradition, if you put your right foot on the genitals of the bull and turn on its axis three times, it will bring good luck. As a result, the popularity of this tradition, a mosaic corrupted, and the place is now a bull genitals gaping big hole.
