Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Framed by an immense archway, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II opens off the Piazza del Duomo’s northern flank. This glass-and-steel-roofed shopping arcade is shaped like a crucifix, and is home to elegant boutiques, cafes, and, unfortunately, a McDonald’s. More fittingly, it’s also home to a seven-star (!!) hotel, the Townhouse Galleria.

Giuseppe Mengoni designed the Galleria as a showplace for modern Milan. Tragically, he plummeted to his death from scaffolding just weeks before his 14-year tour de force was completed in 1877. Long-standing Milanese tradition claims you can avoid Mengoni’s bad luck by grinding your heel into the testicles of the mosaic bull on the floor (just to the left of the central cross when you’re facing north).