Piazza Duomo and Piazza della Scala

Piazza Duomo is the heart of Milano. It is the square where both the huge Galleria Vittorio Emmenuell II, the world's most famous and first large galleria and Il Duomo, the world's largest Gothic cathedral are situated. And at Piazza della Scala, on the other side of the galleria, is La Scala, the world's most famous opera house. The first thing that I noticed was that the square is not as large as it looks in the pictures, but the cathedral and the galleria are larger! When I arrived in Milan I got the feeling it is a safe city and especially Piazza Duomo since all the tourists are there, but it is not true: you have to be careful to avoid a couple of black guys that do everything they can to force people to buy a cheap bracelet that they say comes from Africa, and that includes blocking your way and preventing you from going away until you have bought it! Some guys are worse than others and I think I met the worst of them!

Piazza Duomo:

Piazza Duomo with the galleria to the left and the cathedral to the right. If you plan to go there, look carefully to avoid the black guys that try to steal your money by forcing you to stop at the metro escalator or on the square, put a bracelet on you within a second and then don't let you go away until you have given them your money - in the light of the day! That ruined my first visit of the square, but I got back later.

Il Duomo, the Cathedral of Milano, is the world's largest Gothic cathedral. The construction of the cathedral begun in the 14th century, but wasn't completed until 1813. It is 107m tall to the spire. Parts of the cathedral are still under renovation.

The length of the cathedral, that one of Italy's most famous buildings, is 157 m.

The interior height of its central nave (46m) is surpassed only by 2 cathedrals in the world, depending of how you count.

Details of the cathedral.

Almost everything is forbidden if you want to go inside the whole cathedral, including bare arms (if you are a woman), cameras and bags. But even if you don't fit the taste of the metal detectors and guards, you can sometimes go just inside the entrance and see the mighty interior.

More details.

Here are the damned bracelets that the African guys have forced to both tourists and local people, who mostly immediately take them off.

The huge entance to Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II from Piazza Duomo. Vittorio Emmanuelle II was the first king of the united Italy.

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II, the world's first really large shopping galleria is situated between Piazza Duomo and Piazza della Scala. It was originally designed in 1861 and built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877 and many gallerias, especially in the USA, have been modeled after this one. I couldn't find any info about how many stores there are in the galleria. In contrary to what many people think, there where other gallerias that were built before, but not close to this size.

The outer arcade of the galleria.

Prada, Mercedes-Benz, Louis Vitton, Gucci - some of the brand stores that can be found in this large and exclusive galleria...

...and Mc Donald's!

The galleria's domed glass ceiling is majestic.

So are the roof.

The galleria has two glass-vaulted arcades. Many shopping gallerias has taken the name "galleria" from Milan's galleria.

Towards Piazza della Scala in the northwest. The Town House Galleria Hotel that opened in the galleria 2007 is the city's most expensive and ultra-luxorious hotel, said to be 7 star.

Towards Il Duomo. It feels more like a couple of covered streets than a mall, since its vaults are open to the "outside world".

The galleria at Piazza della Scala.

The other, less interesting side of Piazza Duomo. To the right you can see Palazzo Reale, the former Royal Palace. Today it hosts two popular museums.

La Rinascente, next to the galleria, is Milian's largest and most exclusive department stores, with fashion as a speciality. It was founded in 1865 on another address.

La Rinascente has about 10 floors and a café and an exclusive grocery department on the top floor.

The exterior of La Rinascente.

An exclusive branch of the Swedish H&M store.

A vintage Rolls-Royce at Piazza Duomo.

Piazza della Scala:

La Scala. The world's most famous and most prominent opera house. However, neither the size or the architecture was impressive considering its rumour. I think they prefer quality over quantity. It was inaugurated in 1778 and renovated 2002-2004.

Palazzo Marino from 1553, today the city hall of Milano. Someone told me that the photos are of prisons that Italy wants to be released.

Banco Commerciale Italiana.

The Leonardo da Vinci statue, between the Galleria and La Scala. A nice place to have lunch. There I couldn't see any of the guys from Africa that try to cheat people, just a few beggars.

The entrance to Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II and the da Vinci statue from Piazza della Scala.

Teatro alla Scala, the Galleria and the da Vinci statue. La Scala has a theater museum and is home to many famous divas.

Details of the da Vinci statue.

The intersection at Piazza della Scala.