Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - one of the oldest shopping centers in the world. It is located in a four double arcade in Milan and got its name by the name of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a united Italy. The gallery was designed in 1861 and built by the architect Giuseppe Mengoni in 1865-1877 years.

The shopping center consists of two passages with glass arches, forming an octagon and "covering" the street that connects Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala. The central part is topped with a glass dome gallery. Milan Gallery was once larger in size than its predecessors in the different countries of the world, and its construction was an important step in improving building technologies.

On the floor of the central octagon, you can see the 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 right heel on the genitals of the bull depicted on the emblem of Turin, and three times to turn around itself, it will bring good luck. This belief has played a bad service for the old mosaic - on the site of bovine genital has a hole.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is often called the "living room" of Milan due to the fact that it is an important meeting place and walk for city residents. To date, the gallery features luxury goods boutiques selling clothing, jewelry, books and pictures. There are also restaurants, cafes and bars. Interestingly, some of the local cafes - one of the oldest in Milan. For example, Biffi Caffe, founded in 1867 by royal pastry chef Paolo Biffi, restaurant Savini or classic Zucca Bar.