Galleria Umberto I

The Galleria Umberto I, in Naples

The Galleria Umberto I is a sumptuous nineteenth-century shopping arcade, topped with a great glass roof, in the heart of Naples. The Naples audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this masterpiece of architecture, facing the San Carlo theatre.

The monumental arcade with the glass roof

The Galleria Umberto I is one of the finest shopping arcades of Italy. Built at the end of the nineteenth century, as part of a vast programme of modernisation of Naples, it is composed of wide cross-shaped aisles lined with elegant façades, topped with an immense glass roof of glass and iron that lets in the light, and a great central dome. The floor is adorned with magnificent mosaics. This sumptuous setting shelters shops, cafés and businesses, in a refined atmosphere. Inspired by the great arcades of the nineteenth century, it echoes the famous galleria of Milan. Located facing the San Carlo theatre, the Galleria Umberto I is an architectural jewel in the heart of Naples.

What to see

You admire the wide cross-shaped aisles lined with elegant façades, the immense glass roof of glass and iron, the great central dome and the magnificent mosaics of the floor, in a sumptuous setting of shops and cafés, facing the San Carlo theatre. The Galleria Umberto I is an architectural jewel of Naples. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Galleria Umberto I lies in the heart of Naples, facing the San Carlo theatre, reachable on foot and by public transport. It is a freely accessible public space; the shops and cafés have their own hours. You cross it during a walk in the centre.

What is the Galleria Umberto I in Naples?

A sumptuous shopping arcade of the end of the nineteenth century, with wide cross-shaped aisles topped with an immense glass roof and a dome, adorned with mosaics on the floor, sheltering shops and cafés, facing the San Carlo theatre.

Where is the Galleria Umberto I?

In the heart of Naples, facing the San Carlo theatre, in Italy.