01.The restoration
Menu 00
The Galleria transforms
Discover the process of restoration, browse the various steps of cleaning and discover the secrets of the Galleria
The restoration process
The construction site of knowledge: discover the techniques and interventions. Listen to the employers, and refine your knowledge about the restoration
The mobile scaffolding
The design of the mobile scaffolding: from historical scaffolding to the genesis of the “portale” that works day and night in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
02.History
Discover the history of the construction of the monument
Navigate through the history of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with a simple click
The life of the architect Mengoni
From its birth until the mysterious death, the life of a character to discover
03.THE GALLERIA
Numbers of the Galleria
Fact & figures: data, dates, trivia, stats and more
Decorations
Discover the peculiarities of artistic, cultural and social details hidden in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the four continents, human activities, mosaics, decorative cements
04.LIFE STORIES AND TALES
InGalleria Tales
Giovanna Ferrante recounts with romance historical events of the Galleria. Discover with her the birth of Corriere della Sera, the architect Mengoni, Umberto Boccioni and more
Biffi, Campari & Co. The big brands in Galleria
The story of the historical places of the Galleria told through images and life stories. The birth of the social heart of Milan.
The living room of Milan
From the 20’s to our days, the “Salotto di Milano” upheld all the important moments of a city in constant evolution, find out how
05.INITIATIVES
Guestbook
Discover your message on our #ingalleria guestbook
Anthology
Galleria texts and quotes
Faces of Milan
Faces of Milan, Faces in Galleria.
Follow us
06.MEDIA LIBRARY
Videos, Interviews and photographs. Discover the media documenting the restoration of the Galleria
Discover the characters behind the restoration. A video tour to discover the talents of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Numbers 00
Numbers of the Galleria
ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION IN NUMBERS
The architecture of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, explained simply in numbers. Its details, its unique design, the particularity of each arm, the octagon, the iconic dome above it and the glass roofs. Those covers that made the great architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner affirm, in the essay “A History of Building Types” of 1976, that in no other architectural model, outside the gallery, you can reach summits so high.
Numbers 01
19,62
(meters)
the length of the shorter arm
Numbers 02
105,10
(meters)
the length of the longest arm
Numbers 03
14,5
(meters)
the width of the arms
Numbers 04
32
(meters)
the height of the arms
Numbers 05
47
(meters)
the height of the octagon
Numbers 06
39
(meters)
the diameter of the dome
Numbers 07
38,50
(meters)
the height of the internal arc
Numbers 08
2,700
(square meters)
the surface
NEW PROPORTIONS IN HISTORY
Perhaps it is not the best to live your whole life in it, as a fascinated Mark Twain stated in the pages of “A Tramp Abroad”, the diary of a long European trip that made him fall in love with Milan, but certainly the dimensions of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II are remarkable. Twain was struck by the atmosphere, from the “tables on the marble streets,” from the small crowds walking in an indoor facility. In fact, the gallery was an incredible architectural precedent, and the size was matched only twenty years later, by another gallery. Here you can admire a graphic that compares other similar buildings, built in nearby eras.
THE COSTS OF GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II
n order to come up with sufficiet funds to renew Piazza del Duomo, it would be necessary to tightly budget up “until the year 2039”.
Milan had no time to react by invoking the old adage, “Fate is the pretext of the lazy”. Accompanied by Napoleon III, Victor Emmanuel II triumphantly passed through the city gate. In the aftermath of his visit, the populace made an unanimous vow to dedicate a monumental work to the first king of Italy.
Moved by such ardour and receptivity to the project of restoring splendour to Piazza del Duomo, the mayor hit upon the idea of setting up a Municipal Lottery, convinced that the proceeds would suffice to make the citizen’s wish come true. Twenty million lira was a huge sum for the time, but what looked like a genial solution to the problem of funding failed to work.
Many thought its exorbitant to pay 10 lira for a game of chance: one-third of the tickets remained unsold. A miserable result? Not really; since it succeeded and the venture continued.
Numbers 09
700.000 man-days required to complete the work
3.558.865
liras
Numbers 10
FOR WORK PERFORMED UNDER MASTER BUILDER
999.820
liras
Numbers 11
FOR IRON AND CAST IRON
405.041
liras
Numbers 12
FOR TIMBER
802.304
liras
Numbers 13
FOR STONE, MARBLE AND GNEISS SLABS
326.404
liras
Numbers 14
FOR TERRA COTTA, MASONRY, WOOD DECORATION
4.308
liras
Numbers 15
PIANTING AND WHITEWASHING
15.134
liras
Numbers 16
FOR HEATING AND BELL WORK
323.556
liras
Numbers 17
FOR GLASSWORK
109.983
liras
Numbers 18