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It is a story that runs parallel to that of Rome, the new capital of Italy, that of the Gallery which is located a few steps from Palazzo Chigi, in the heart of the city. It was 1872, two years after the proclamation, when the building fibrillary of the city in full evolution required giving a new use to the space in front of Piazza Colonna, where the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom had just settled. However, we had to wait until 1922 when the project by the Livorno architect Dario Carbone took shape, giving life to the commercial promenade of the Gallery then called “Colonna”, loved and frequented by the new and rich bourgeoisie of the capital.
A story that extends until 2003, when it was renovated and dedicated to Alberto Sordi, the famous Roman actor who passed away at the beginning of that year. Then, in 2018, its ownership passed to the Italian alternative real estate investment fund reserved for professional investors called “Megas”, managed by Prelios Sgr, whose sole shareholder is the Enasarco Foundation. Which invested in its redevelopment, an important project in the wake of similar interventions on other assets of the fund, such as the Rinascente building in Piazza Fiume, recently inaugurated after complete renovation.
The works, finally completed, today give back to Rome one of its most loved and frequented spaces, made more suitable to satisfy the needs of retail and in a strategic position, a few steps from the shopping streets of the city, from the luxury of the via Condotti and via del Babuino up to the premium brands of via del Corso and via del Tritone: it is estimated that when fully operational the gallery will be able to generate a turnover of more than 100 million euros, approximately double the figure before the redevelopment, giving work to around 800 people, including related industries. The spaces, for a total of approximately 10 thousand m2, have been reduced (from 27 to 15) and rethought in terms of shape and architectural orientations, while respecting the historicity of the building, and the arrival – announced for spring – is awaited of the first Roman Uniqlo store, with its 1,300 m2, the second in Italy after the one in Milan inaugurated in 2019; there will also be the second Italian store (the first is in Milan) of Hamleys, the famous and historic British toy retailer, next to Iginio Massari, a Mondadori Bookstore (which will replace the offer of the former Feltrinelli bookshop), a Havaianas shoes and accessories. On the food front, the openings of the Stendhal Restaurant, the Antica Focacceria San Francesco and Rossopomodoro are planned.