Audio Guide Naples – Gelleria Umberto I

Entire working-class neighbourhoods — such as Porto, Pendino, Mercato and Vicaria — were demolished, and their reconstruction entrusted to a commission of citizen experts. In the Santa Brigida area, the project of the engineer Emanuele Rocco was selected, which envisaged the construction of four large buildings connected by a grandiose iron and glass gallery, 15 meters wide, designed by the engineer Paolo Boubée. The windows, for a total of 1076 square meters, draw four arms that meet in the centre, under a majestic dome. Of the four entrances, the most spectacular is the one facing the San Carlo Theatre: an arched portico introduces a widening with a façade decorated with marble statues and elegant niches. The Gallery was inaugurated on November 10, 1892 and immediately established itself as the artistic and social centre of the city. After a period of decline between the two wars, today it has returned to its former glory: a refined city living room, with shops, cafes, offices and lots of architectural beauty. A jewel that embellishes an area already rich in monuments, squares and historic streets