The secrets of Umberto I Gallery

The Umberto I gallery in Naples located near the famous shopping street, via Toledo, is certainly one of the architectural emblems that enrich our city even more in history, making it unique in the world.

A timeless architectural beauty

The gallery, a mammoth glass and iron structure in Art Nouveau style, was built in 1887 and inaugurated for the first time in 1890th, after an extensive urban reclamation work that involved the area of ”‹”‹Santa Brigida begun in 1885.

The ambitious project, was strongly desired by the engineer Emanuele Rocco, Antonio Curri and Ernesto di Mauro who conceived this mastodontic work intended not only to redevelop the area but also to give it a certain grandeur, a visible sign of power that lasted over time.

Conceived with two arms that intersect on the famous streets of San Carlo, Santa Brigida, Via Toledo and Via Verdi, the gallery houses the famous Belle Epoque theater, that is the  Margherita salon, what once was the most important cultural salon of Naples that in the first half of the twentieth century welcomed prominent personalities such as: Matilde Serao, Salvatore Di Giacomo, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Roberto Bracco, Ferdinando Russo, Eduardo Scarfoglio and Francesco Crispi.

What differentiates the Galleria Umberto I from all the others in the city is certainly its mysterious aspect. The gallery in fact seems to conceal within it a real treasure chest of symbols and allegories, a sort of Masonic temple, strongly characterized by mysterious symbols and signs that refer to a profound esoteric message.

The gallery today

The gallery Umberto I, in all its grandeur, today hosts many different commercial realities, from the famous American fast food chain, to cafes where you can eat at the tables and enjoy a coffee surrounded by a location full of history, to souvenir shops up to the presence of exclusive boutiques, an ideal place for luxury shopping lovers.

The gallery Umberto I despite the passage of time manages to maintain an unchanged charm, and above all continues over time to be one of the undisputed symbols of the city of Naples.