Tag Archives: arcade

Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Karl on May 6, 2020 with Comments Off

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a beautiful shopping arcade in Milan near the Duomo, is the oldest shopping mall in Milan and one of the oldest in Europe.
In 1860 the government of Milan held a competition for the redevelopment of the area between the Duomo and the Scala Opera House. The winning design was submitted by Bolognese architect, Giuseppe Mengoni. The first stone of the mall was laid in 1865 by King Victor Emmanuel II, after whom the arcade is named. The Gallerie was opened for business about 2 years later, but work on the structure continued for another decade, especially on the grand entrance from Piazza del Duomo. In a sad note of irony, Mengoni fell to his …

Tagged arcade, Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, glass, piazza del Duomo, shopping

.All Trips / Belgium / Europe

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Brussels

Karl on Apr 29, 2019 with Comments Off

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a shopping arcade notable for its innovative architecture. It preceded other famous 19th-century European shopping arcades, like Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The Galerie has glazed shopfronts and two upper floors, all under an arched glass roof overlying a cast-iron framework.

The gallery consists of two major sections, each more than 100 meters in length. Construction started on May 6, 1846. and lasted for 18 months. The Galerie was inaugurated on June 20, 1847 by King Leopold.

It is a bright pleasant and cheery place in which to escape a brisk Brussels day and has excellent (and warm) coffee shops and some wonderful chocolate outlets.

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