Galleria Umberto I is a public shopping gallery in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is located directly across from the San Carlo opera house. It was built between 1887–1890, and was the cornerstone in the decades-long rebuilding of Naples—called the ''

risanamento Risanamento (literally, ''making healthy again'') is a name given to the large scale re-planning of Italian cities following unification. Particular examples are the ''Risanamento'' of Florence and Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ...

'' (lit. "making healthy again")—that lasted until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was designed in the Stile Umbertino by

Emanuele Rocco Emanuele is the Italian form of Manuel (name), Manuel. People with the name include: * Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia (1915–1944), Italian aviator * Emanuele Basile (1949–1980), captain of Carabinieri * Emanuele Belardi (born 1977), Italian football ...

, who employed modern architectural elements reminiscent of the

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II () is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and a major landmark of Milan in Italy. Housed within a four-story double arcade in the centre of town, the ''Galleria'' is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first ki ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. The Galleria was named after

Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

, King of Italy at the time of construction. It was meant to combine businesses, shops, cafés and social life—public space—with private space in the apartments on the third floor. The Galleria is a high and spacious cross-shaped structure, surmounted by a glass

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

braced by 16 metal ribs. Of the four iron and glass-vaulted wings, one fronts on via Toledo (via Roma), still the main downtown thoroughfare, and another opens onto the San Carlo Theatre. It has returned to being an active center of Neapolitan civic life after years of decay. The building is part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

listing of the

Historic Centre of Naples The historic center, or ''Centro Storico,'' of Naples, Italy represents the historic nucleus of the city, spanning 27 centuries. Almost the entirety of the historic center, approximately 1021 hectares, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sit ...

as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The Galleria Umberto is the setting for ''The Gallery'' (1947) by the American writer

John Horne Burns John Horne Burns (October 7, 1916 – August 11, 1953) was an American writer, the author of three novels. The first, ''The Gallery'' (1947), is his best known work, was very well received when published, and has been reissued several times. Bi ...

(1916–1953) based on his experiences as an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

soldier in Naples shortly after the liberation of the city. Image:Sommer, Giorgio (1834-1914) - n. 1135 - Napoli - Galleria Umberto I.jpg, Image:Galleria Umberto I – esterno – Napoli 2013-05-16 BW.jpg, Image:Napoli BW 2013-05-16 13-28-50 DxO.jpg, Image:Sagittaire naples.jpg, Image:NapoliGalleriaUmbertoIDaSanMartino.jpg, File:Interior of Galleria Umberto I. Naples, Campania, Italy, South Europe.jpg,

References

External links

{{Commons category, Galleria Umberto I (Naples) Buildings and structures in Naples Commercial buildings completed in 1891 1891 establishments in Italy Shopping malls established in 1891 Shopping centres in Italy Domes Pedestrian streets in Italy Renaissance Revival architecture in Italy Shopping arcades in Italy Tourist attractions in Naples 19th century in Naples