The coat of arms of Turin in the Victor-Emanuel-Passage and a superstition

Hey guys,

today there is only a little post from me about our experience of the Viktor Emanuel Passage (it. „Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II“). To be honest, I think it was the attraction I definitly wanted to see in Milan even before the Milan Cathedral. Probably it was because I could admire it on many instagram photos of models who pose here so shamefully sometimes every day. Even though we didn't find a model here that day (which wouldn't have been really unusual for this place or for Milan in general, since Milan is the city of fashion), the Victor Emanuel Passage looked almost better in real life than on the photos. The architecture really impressed me. Everything looks luxurious here, even the floor. Only luxury brands can be found here. As befits such a noble gallery, you will find the who-is-who of international luxury brands such as Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Versace.

However, I always thought that the passage was a bit longer (it is about 200 meters long) and you could walk through it quickly. The Viktor Emanuel Passage was one of the sights we took the least time for. That's why I only sent a small post today. But you can hardly do more than admire the architecture and look in the shop windows, unless you have the money for luxury clothes and look modern enough to get into the shops. But we did not try that.

From the feeling there (apart from the countless tourists in the passage, where it is hardly possible to get a photo without them), the atmosphere was really great. Without exaggerating, I have never seen such a beautiful shopping arcade before. I especially liked the art nouveau style and the glass cups in the middle of the passage. By the way, you can sit in a cafe instead of shopping here, but you pay more for a cafe than for a warm lunch elsewhere.

A few facts: The passage is located in a prominent position between the Piazza del Duomo with the Milan Cathedral and the Piazza della Scala with the world-famous Teatro alla Scala. Furthermore, the passage opened in 1867 and is the oldest shopping centre in Italy. By the way, the passage is named after King Victor Emanuel II, the first king of the united Italy.

In the middle of the passage under the dome there are four beautiful and small mosaics on the floor with the coats of arms of Rome, Florence, Milan and Turin.

The wolf stands for Rome, the swan for Florence, the bull for Turin and the red cross for Milan. If you take a closer look at the coats of arms, you will notice that instead of the bull's testicles, Turin's coat of arms usually has only one hole gape (and this despite regular restoration work). This is due to the superstition that it brings fertility to the Lords of Creation if they turn around on the heel of their shoe. Apparently quite a lot of Milanese and tourists are superstitious.

Unfortunately we did not inform ourselves about this, but we were told later: There are not only roof terraces on the Milan Cathedral, but also roof terraces of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.

They are open all day long and are certainly a good change for shopping in the gallery - it's a pity that we didn't take this opportunity, but if I should come to Milan again, it's certainly on my bucket-list!

Because from here you have a great view of the Milan Cathedral, the Piazza del Duomo and the surrounding buildings. Definitely recommendable!

I hope you liked the post, se you soon :)

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