Galleria Umberto I

Look up: you are standing beneath one of the most spectacular iron and glass domes in Europe. Yet this arcade was born of a tragedy. Between 1835 and 1884, Naples suffered nine cholera epidemics, and the one in 1884 was devastating in the crowded, unhealthy lower districts.

1The Risanamento

After that epidemic, in 1885 the State passed a law to «clean up» Naples, the Risanamento: whole blocks of alleys were demolished and wide streets were opened up. Here, next to the royal palace, this arcade was built. The first stone was laid on 5 November 1887 and it opened on 19 November 1890. It bears the name of King Umberto I, who visited the city at the height of the epidemic.

The design was by Emanuele Rocco, and the iron and glass structure of the vault was designed by Paolo Boubée.

2A covered square

From the very start, the arcade was the city's drawing room. In its basement the Salone Margherita, a celebrated Belle Époque café-chantant, entertained the public, and in 1896 the city's first cinema opened here. For more than half a century it was also the territory of the «sciuscià», the shoeshine boys.

The floor mosaic, with the winds and the signs of the zodiac, dates from 1952: it replaced the original, damaged by wear and by wartime bombing.

3What to look for

• The central dome, which rises about 57 metres.
• The zodiac on the floor: find your sign.
• The main entrance facade, opposite the Teatro San Carlo.