Located in the very hearth of Milan, the Cultural Beauty District includes secret monuments that have only recently been re-opened to the public, whose artistic value holds over 1000 years of history of the city. Between these monumentis are panoramic roofrops, ancient crypts, bell towers and historical archives.
Highline Galleria is the only walkway along the rooftop of the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, offering unprecedented views of the place known as Milan’s “living room” and the city’s skyline.
The Galleria and its rooftop was built at the end of the 1800 and dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II, the king that made Milan join the Reign of Italy.
“Vittorio Emanuele Galleria” was built by Giuseppe Mengoni that proposed a long gallery, crossed by an arm, with the center of the intersection a large octagonal “room”.
The Octagon in the center is considered the living room of the city named also “Il Salotto di Milano”. On its floor, in the center, there is a mosaic with the emblem of the Royal House of Savoy.
40 metres above the city, the walkway – which “retraces” the original path once used to maintain the glass roof of the Galleria – is 250 metres long and has barriers on either side, making it totally safe, even for children.
Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery
The Vittorio Emanuele II gallery is a commercial gallery in Milan which, in the form of a covered pedestrian street, connects Piazza Duomo to Piazza della Scala. Due to the presence of elegant shops and clubs, since its inauguration it was the meeting place of the Milanese bourgeoisie so as to be nicknamed the “Milan living room”: built in the neo-Renaissance style, it is among the most famous examples of European iron architecture and represents the archetype of the nineteenth century commercial gallery. Simply called “the Gallery” by the Milanese, it is often considered as one of the first examples ofshopping center in the world.
From the rooftop of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele you can admire Piazza Duomo and the Cathedral, Piazza della Scala and the new city skyline named Porta Nuova. So you can have a 360° panoramic view on Milan.
Walk over the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to admire the stunning rooftops of the famous Galleria and the Milan’s skyline, include the Duomo spires up close and enjoy breath-taking views of Milan.
Designed in 1861 and built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world’s oldest shopping malls and a pure symbol of Milan. Walk over the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for the ultimate Milan experience.
The terraces route is 250 meters long and there are also parking areas and panels that explain the history of the gallery and a lighting system for night visits. On the rooftop you can find also a very nice Pizzeria.
Highline Galleria also organises events allowing you to experience the views outside normal opening hours. Among these events are aperitifs in the city’s first rooftop vineyard, themed tasting sessions, evening picnics and film screenings in an enchanting cinema set up partway along the path, with a view of the Duomo.
Milan Cathedral
The Duomo of Milan, officially Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the cathedral of the archdiocese of Milan. Symbol of the Lombard capital, and located in the square of the same name in the center of the metropolis, it is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente. It is the largest church in Italy (the largest St. Peter’s Basilica is in fact in the territory of the Vatican City), the fourth in the world by surface, the sixth by volume. It is the seat of the parish of Santa Tecla in the Milan Cathedral.
Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo is the main square of Milan, its real geometric center and commercial for over seven centuries. It is the vital center of the city, a meeting place for the Milanese to celebrate important events and, together with the adjacent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the iconic place par excellence of the metropolis and a destination for visitors and tourists from all over the world.
The square has an area of approximately 17,000 square meters and is rectangular in shape, also considering the area enclosed by the surrounding buildings, arranged according to the Cathedral which closes the background perspective of the square, the surface is 40,200 m2 which makes it become one of the largest squares in Italy.
Dominated by the imposing Gothic front of the Cathedral, and decorated in the center by the equestrian monument to Vittorio Emanuele II erected in 1896, the square is surrounded by various architectures from different periods: it stands in front of the bulk of the cathedral Palazzo Carminati, while on the larger sides of the the symmetrical southern porticoes are flanked by the two towers of the Arengario and the northern ones accompanied by the monumental entrance to the gallery.
Cinema Bianchini
Cinema Bianchini is Milan’s first experiential cinema, taking viewers to unique locations rich in history and offering them the opportunity to rewatch the best films of years gone by.
Now in its third edition, Cinema Bianchini has brought to life the dreams of thousands of people thanks to screenings on the rooftop of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and on a boat cruising down the Navigli (the city’s canals).
The films shown include real masterpieces that made cinematic history, such as “La Dolce Vita”, “Miracle in Milan”, “Roman Holiday”, “The Great Beauty”, “Some Like It Hot”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Breathless”, and many more.