Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III
Rebuilt from the rubble of 1908, Messina gave itself a glass-roofed gallery and opened it the day the cathedral rang again.
At a glance
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III is the glass-roofed shopping arcade at the centre of Messina, built between 1924 and 1929 in the city raised again after the catastrophic earthquake of 1908. Designed by Camillo Puglisi Allegra, it blends Liberty and Art Déco, and was inaugurated on 13 August 1929, the same day the rebuilt cathedral reopened.
Key facts
- Built: 1924–1929
- Inaugurated: 13 August 1929
- Architect: Camillo Puglisi Allegra
- Style: Liberty and Art Déco
- Context: Reconstruction of Messina after the 1908 earthquake
- Coordinates: 38.1941, 15.5540 — Google Maps
History
The earthquake of 28 December 1908 destroyed almost all of Messina. In the decades that followed the city was rebuilt to a new plan, and among its set-piece public spaces was this covered gallery, designed by Camillo Puglisi Allegra and built between 1924 and 1929.
It opened on 13 August 1929, the feast that also marked the reopening of the reconstructed cathedral — a deliberate statement that the city had returned. Today the arcade is given over to restaurants and cocktail bars.
What you see
The gallery’s three arms meet under a glazed hexagonal dome with three entrances, with Liberty and Déco detailing on cornices, shopfronts and the iron-and-glass vault — Messina’s answer to the great Italian shopping galleries of Milan and Naples.
The pale stone fronts and the play of light through the glass make it one of the brightest interior streets in Sicily.
Practical information
- A public arcade, freely walkable; now lined with restaurants and bars.
- Liveliest in the evening.
- A few steps from the cathedral and Piazza Duomo.
Getting there
The gallery is in central Messina, between Via Garibaldi and the cathedral square, a short walk from the port and the tram line.
Nearby
- Palazzo Zanca, the town hall
- Cathedral of Messina, Piazza Duomo
- Mu.Me. – Regional Museum of Messina
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III”
- Comune di Messina
- Studies on the reconstruction of Messina
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