Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III, Art Nouveau building in Messina, Italy.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III is an Art Nouveau building in central Messina, Sicily, made up of three covered wings that meet at a central hexagonal space. The roof is closed by a glass vault with colored panes, and the floor throughout is laid with decorative mosaic tiles.
The gallery was designed by Camillo Puglisi Allegra and built between 1924 and 1929, funded by the Società Generale Elettrica della Sicilia. It was inaugurated on 13 August 1929, the same day as the rebuilt cathedral. Sculptors Antonio Bonfiglio and Ettore Lovetti decorated it, drawing with Puglisi Allegra on Sicilian 18th-century models. In 2000 it was declared a good of historical and artistic interest under law 1089/39.
The gallery is named after King Victor Emmanuel III. Its decorations were made by sculptors Antonio Bonfiglio and Ettore Lovetti, who, with Puglisi Allegra, drew on Sicilian 18th-century models. Since the 2002–2005 restoration it has again served as a meeting place, hosting public balls and exhibitions alongside its fashion shops and cafés.
The gallery is right on Piazza Antonello in the center of Messina and easy to reach on foot from most parts of the old town. Inside you will find restaurants, bars, and shops, so it is a good place to stop and rest during a walk around the city.
Although the building was designed in the Art Nouveau style, some of its decorative elements show clear Art Deco influences, which makes it a rare example of two different design movements coexisting in the same structure. This overlap was uncommon in southern Italy at the time it was built.
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