On the left hand-side of the church, there was a shopping lane called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, name of the king after Italian unification. The shopping lane was covered by metal and glass and completed in 1878. It was seen many times on TV but I could not describe the extraordinary feeling until seeing it live. It was like migrating a palace right in front of the plaza.
There were lots of luxury stores, art galleries, bookstores, restaurants, cafe and so on. I heard that it brought in more than 10,000 visitors per day. Visitors were from all around the world. At the end of the corridor, it leaded to other famous points, including the theater La Scala and another subway station.
The two main paths constructed a cross-shaped channel. In addition to the sale of brand-name boutiques, luggage bags, silverware and watches, certainly there were also places to eat and an ice-cream shop (i.e. Savini).
There is no other shopping palace else on earth as grand as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Holiday Season 