138 years after the death of the architect Mengoni - who designed the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - May 2015 marks the final completion of his major work with the restoration and the opening of the "third passageway" that circles the roofs of the gallery itself, from Piazza Duomo to Piazza della Scala.

This restoration of the existing walkway on the roof fulfils Mengoni’s dream to offer the Milanese and visitors from all over the world a chance to admire the stunning city views along with the architectural details of the majestic Duomo, the gallery and the romantic sunsets over the rooftops.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is 196 meters long and 14.5 wide and the passage around the rooftops circles the summit for 250 linear meters, making it possible to observe the view in complete safely. Visitors can make the most of stop-off points to pause and admire some of the Galleria’s best features and the different views of the city, including Piazza Duomo and the new City Life skyscrapers.

Access is via two fast elevators located inside the courtyard of Via Silvio Pellico 2. The apex of the central dome is 47 metres in height and, in order to build it together with the canopy cover, 353 tons of iron and seven million 850 thousand square metres of reinforced glass plates were used.

This unique building was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in 1889 (the year of the inauguration of the Expo in France) and by Crystal Palace in London in 1851 (the year of the inauguration of the Expo in the UK).