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Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a historic Milan landmark and the oldest active shopping gallery in Italy.
Designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni, the mall was constructed between 1865 and 1877.
It is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy.
The structure has two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon, covering the street between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Scala.
The street is sheltered by a glass and cast iron roof, typical of 19th-century arcades.
A glass dome tops the central octagonal space.
This is what the gallery looked like during construction.
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The central octagonal floor features mosaics of the coats of arms of Turin, Florence, Rome, and Milan.
Tradition says spinning three times with a heel on the bull's genitals from Turin's coat of arms brings good luck.
This practice has caused a hole in the mosaic.
This is the gallery's triumphal arch entrance.
And this is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II during Christmas…
Another majestic Italian shopping gallery is located in Naples, southern Italy.
Galleria Umberto I, built between 1887 and 1890, was a key part of the city's decades-long risanamento ("making healthy again") rebuilding.
It is named after Umberto I, King of Italy at the time.
And this is an Italian supermarket...
Located in Venice, Despar Teatro Italia is a unique store, often called "the most beautiful supermarket in the world."
Once a grand theater, it was transformed into a stunning grocery store in December 2016.
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