La Scala
Teatro alla Scala
Interesting facts
- In its early decades the theatre also served as a casino, with gambling going on in the foyer while operas played in the hall.
- The original house was lit by 84 oil lamps on stage and about a thousand more throughout the building; electric light arrived only in 1883.
- Bellini's Norma had its premiere here in 1831, and Verdi's very first opera, Oberto, followed in 1839, with Nabucco in 1842.
- Puccini's Turandot, left unfinished at the composer's death, received its first performance at La Scala in 1926.
- Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites had its world premiere at La Scala in 1957.
- Its predecessor, the Teatro Regio Ducale, burned down on 25 February 1776 after a carnival gala, prompting the new theatre's construction.
- The first house held around 3,000 people; after centuries of changes the modern auditorium seats about 2,030.
- The 2002 to 2004 renovation cost about 61 million euros, and while it ran the company performed at the new Teatro degli Arcimboldi on the city's outskirts.
- Seat-back screens now display the libretto in several languages, so audiences can follow the words without surtitles above the stage.
Why it is worth it
La Scala in Milan is, for many, simply the opera house — the place where a singer's career is made or broken. It opened on 3 August 1778 with Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta, built after fire destroyed the old ducal theatre, and it takes its name from the church of Santa Maria della Scala that was demolished to make room for it.
The architect was Giuseppe Piermarini, and his neoclassical exterior is restrained, giving little hint of what lies inside. The auditorium is the revelation — six tiers of boxes and galleries rising to the loggione at the top, where the cheapest seats are taken by the loggionisti, the most knowledgeable and least forgiving opera fans in the world. Their cheers and boos are legendary; a failure here is long remembered. The stage is one of the largest in Italy.
The list of premieres is a history of Italian opera. Verdi, after years of quarrelling with the house, returned to conduct his Requiem here in 1874 and gave La Scala the first performances of Otello and Falstaff. Arturo Toscanini was twice its principal conductor. Bombs damaged the theatre in 1943, and its reopening on 11 May 1946 with a concert under Toscanini, with the young Renata Tebaldi as soloist, became a symbol of Milan's recovery.
A major renovation by Mario Botta from 2002 to 2004 rebuilt the stage entirely and enlarged the backstage, and removing the heavy carpets improved the sound. The season still opens every year on 7 December, the feast of Milan's patron Saint Ambrose, the city's grandest night out. The Museo Teatrale, entered from the foyer, holds paintings, statues, costumes and documents on the history of the house and of opera.
Getting there
La Scala stands in the centre of Milan. The nearest airport is Milano Linate Airport (LIN), about 7 km away.
Plan your visit
We have no confirmed visit data yet. Once it is confirmed, this block also carries the date it was checked.
Nearby places
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 0.2 km · covered-passageway
- Milan Cathedral 0.4 km · cathedral
- San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore 0.8 km · church
- The Last Supper 1.4 km · museum
- Bosco Verticale 2.0 km · skyscraper
- Monumental Cemetery of Milan 2.2 km · cemetery
- Milano Centrale 2.3 km · railway-station
- Certosa di Pavia 23.6 km · charterhouse
On these lists
From the encyclopaedia
La Scala is a historic opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as il Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala. The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta.
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