Galleria Umberto I

The Galleria Umberto I is a monumental iron-and-glass shopping arcade on Via San Felice, in the Toledo district of Naples, in Italy's Campania region, opposite the Teatro di San Carlo. It was built between 1887 and 1891 as part of the city's redevelopment after the cholera epidemic of 1884, and was named for King Umberto I. The arcade is laid out on a cross plan, with four wings meeting beneath a high glass dome supported by an iron frame, rising to about 57 metres. Visitors walk beneath ornate marble facades, balconies and statues and over a mosaic floor decorated with the signs of the zodiac at the central crossing. The galleria is open to the public around the clock as a street, with cafes, shops and offices at ground level and upper floors of apartments, and the cafes beneath the dome are traditional places to stop for a coffee or a sfogliatella. A visit takes only twenty to thirty minutes, but it is easy to linger. The best light falls during the day, when sun pours through the glass and shows the ironwork and mosaics at their finest. For photographs, standing at the crossing and looking up gives the strongest view of the dome, and the entrance on Via Toledo frames the arcade well. Crowds are lightest early in the morning and in the evening after shops close. The arcade is a five-minute walk from Metro stations at Municipio and Toledo and sits beside Teatro di San Carlo and Piazza del Plebiscito, making it a natural stop between them. Visitors should keep an eye on belongings, as with any busy central area.