9 Wonderful Shopping Galleries From Another Era

They emerged in the 19th century. They were spaces where the well-to-do classes could shop without worrying about the weather, where they could stroll and where, in some way, they exhibited their wealth. Exquisitely decorated, commercial galleries had their heyday, but many succumbed to new times and new fashions. Fortunately, not all.

1. Galerie Vivienne, Paris

Capital of fashion and luxury, Paris is the city that had the most galleries and the city where you can still visit some wonderful ones. The Vivienne gallery, located very close to the Palais Royal, is one of the most emblematic. It was built in 1823 and highlights the beautiful mosaics that adorn the floor and the beautiful glass ceiling.

2. Passage Colbert, Paris

We continue in the French capital. This passage was built in 1826 and is very close to the previous one. But it is completely different. The reason? there are no stores in it. Today it is owned by the National Library and its spaces are dedicated to culture. Its marble columns and glass dome are fabulous.

3. Vittorio Emmanuele, Milan

They call it the “Milan Salon” and today some of the most prestigious fashion brands are found here. But you don’t have to buy to enjoy this beauty. It was built between 1865 and 1877 and  is made up of two perpendicular arches protected by a wonderful glass and iron vault.

4. Alberto Sordi Gallery, Rome

It is a beautiful modernist style gallery that began to be built at the beginning of the last century, although it took until the 1940s to see it completely finished. It is on the central Via del Corso and not long ago it underwent extensive restoration work. Small but elegant, look at the stained glass on the ceiling.

5. Umberto I Gallery, Napolés

This gallery was built at the end of the 19th century as part of an ambitious regeneration plan for the city of Naples. It has a spectacular main facade and other less beautiful ones. Inside, two streets covered by an iron and glass structure that meet in a central dome. The floor is decorated in the form of mosaics.

6. Galeries Saint-Hubert, Brussels

It is one of the three covered shopping galleries that are preserved in the capital of Belgium. A 200-meter passage protected by a beautiful glass dome in which the interlocking arches and ornamental columns stand out. A place to shop and also for culture, in one of its cafes, for example, intellectuals of the stature of Victor Hugo or Alexander Dumas met.

7. Burlington Arcade, London

It runs between Piccadilly and Burlington Gardens and was built in the early 19th century, making it one of the oldest in existence. In addition, it served as a model for those other larger and more ostentatious galleries that were built years later. It has a single richly decorated corridor in which, since its inception, businesses dedicated to jewelry and luxury items have been located.

8. Victoria Quarter, Leeds

The heart of Leeds hides a fabulous collection of shopping arcades. Passages that are very close to each other, adorned with mosaics and with windows on the ceiling that protect from the elements. In some you will find select fashion stores, in others, from food products to electronic devices.

9. Commercial galleries in Spain: Pasaje Gutiérrez, Valladolid

It is one of the three remaining covered shopping galleries in Spain. It was built at the end of the 19th century to communicate the areas of the Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral of Valladolid, and its design took into account those that already existed in European capitals. Thus, it has two sections with the upper part glazed that converge in a central dome.

Cover photo: #PhilippeCPhoto / Flcikr.com