Galleria Umberto I
centro
FamousHistory & archaeology
The story
Beneath the dome of glass and iron the light falls on the marble floor; footsteps and echoes get lost in the octagon, among the shopfronts of the late nineteenth century.
Access
visits €/FREE
The story
The Galleria Umberto I was built in Naples between 1887 and 1890, as part of the great urban renewal of the city that followed the cholera epidemic of 1884. Named after King Umberto I, it rose in place of a disreputable district, turning it into an elegant covered salon.
What to see
The attraction is the architecture itself: the great crossing with the iron-and-glass dome, high and luminous, and the mosaic floor. It is the nineteenth-century twin of the Galleria in Milan, opposite the Teatro San Carlo, and remains a scenic passage in the heart of the city.
Tips
It is a public passage, always crossable: look up at the dome and search out the floor mosaics. You are between the San Carlo and via Toledo, in the monumental triangle: handy to fit into any tour of the centre.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Galleria Umberto I built?
Between 1887 and 1890, during the urban renewal of Naples that followed the cholera epidemic of 1884.
What is there to see in the Galleria Umberto I?
The monumental iron-and-glass dome and the mosaic floor of the central crossing.
Where is the Galleria Umberto I?
In the centre of Naples, opposite the Teatro San Carlo, between via Toledo and via San Carlo.
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