A magnificent iron-and-glass shopping arcade built in the 1880s, modelled on Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and located directly opposite the Teatro San Carlo. The dome at its centre rises 57 metres above the mosaic floor; the cross-shaped plan and classical facades give it an almost ecclesiastical grandeur.
Today the Galleria Umberto functions as a public passage rather than an upscale shopping destination — many of the grand shops are long gone, replaced by cafes, money changers, and a football memorabilia vendor. But the architecture is extraordinary, and it is never locked. Walk through any time of day; the morning light through the dome is particularly fine.