A cross-shaped arcade of glass and iron finished in 1877, joining the Duomo square to La Scala, and the oldest shopping gallery in Italy still doing the job it was built for. The architect fell from the roof days before it opened.
Under the central dome are four mosaics for the cities of the young kingdom — Milan, Turin, Florence and Rome — and the Turin bull has a hollow worn in the floor where people spin on it for luck.
What it costs
⭐ Free. It is a public street with a roof on it, open at both ends, and walking the length of it costs nothing.
What costs is sitting down. ⚠️ The cafés under the arcade charge accordingly and it is printed on the menu.
When to go
Early morning for the floor and the light through the glass; after dark for the arcade lit from inside. It is never empty and does not need to be.
_art.jpg){kind=link}
Getting there
Off the north side of Piazza del Duomo. It comes out at Piazza della Scala, so it is the natural route between the two.
If you only have an hour
In at the Duomo end, stand under the dome for the mosaics, out at the Scala end. Ten minutes, and it is the most pleasant ten minutes in the centre.
What people get wrong
⚠️ The bull is a queue, not a ritual. Spinning on it is a modern tourist habit rather than an old Milanese one, and there is usually a line. The mosaics overhead are the reason to stop.
Nearby
Admissions, closing days and booking arrangements as published and checked on 7 September 2026. These change — the Last Supper’s release schedule has changed more than once — so confirm anything you are relying on before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.