Designed by architect Giuseppe Mengoni in 1865, this ornate shopping arcade is also known as Milan’s drawing room, making it a haven for shoppers. One of the structures that suffered severe damage was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Italy’s oldest shopping mall. It serves as a hub for arts, commerce, finance, and is a popular tourist destination boasting of important collections in its museums and art galleries.ĭuring World War II, Milan suffered extensive setbacks from Allied bombing. Milan has long been hailed as the fashion capital of the world and the epicentre of design. It holds the esteemed title of being an “Alpha Global City” and is the second most populous city in Italy after Rome. However, Milan compensates with its smart, cosmopolitan vibe and unparalleled style. I was told that due to World War II, very little of its historical charm remained. Now, this might sound like an unfavorable description, but after immersing myself in the history and epic architecture that saturates every street of Italy’s other cities, Milan looked refreshingly un-Italian and modernist in many ways. The city appears to be a grey, flat industrial mega metropolis, seemingly indistinguishable from any other city in desperate need of a scrub. Milan stands out discordantly from the rest of Italy in its texture, architecture, and views. As you briskly walk with your luggage towards the exit, you might even mistake it for the grand hallways of a palace! Far from being merely a functional transit point, the station is adorned with numerous sculptures in the Art Deco style. And so, Milano Centrale, with its annual handling of 120 million passengers, defies the clichéd notion of a railway station façade. It was then that Benito Mussolini, the Prime Minister of Italy at the time, expedited the work, envisioning a grand station that would represent the power of the regime. However, due to the economic slump caused by World War I, the construction progress slowed down.
King Victor Emmanuel III laid the cornerstone of this station in 1906, apparently without a blueprint. It seemed as if the station itself was extending a grand welcome to first-time visitors to this city of style and fashion. Stepping off the train, my eyes were immediately drawn to the colossal and imposing roof of Milano Centrale station. Traveling from Venice to Milan by train was an absolute delight.
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