La Scala Opera House

La Scala Opera House

La Scala is a famous opera house in Milan. Even if you’re not an opera fan, be sure to take the opportunity to visit this theater. Rossini became famous here and the first production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was staged here.

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General information

In 1776, the Reggio Teatro Ducale was destroyed in a fire, after which Empress Maria Theresa of Austria commissioned Giuseppe Piermarini, a prominent architect of the neoclassical era, to build a new theater. He chose the site where the church of Santa Maria alla Scala used to be. Piermarini must have had excellent builders at his disposal: the unique, most perfect theater in the world was built in less than two years. The theater opened on August 3, 1778 with a production of Antonio Salieri’s opera Acclaimed Europe.”

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In the following years, La Scala Theater closed briefly only three times, the first time during World War I. It reopened after Arturo Toscanini led an independent campaign in 1920 to raise money to reopen the theater. During World War II, La Scala was bombed, and Toscanini again helped raise funds to rebuild and reopen the theater in 1946 with a series of benefit concerts. Finally, in 2001, the theater underwent a major remodeling. It cost $70 million, the work was done by architect Mario Botta, and in December 2004, La Scala reopened, again with Salieri’s opera Acclaimed Europe.

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The La Scala building is known for its luxurious red velvet chairs and magnificent light fixtures. It has a stunning orchestra, conductors and soloists. La Scala is the quintessence of architectural, acoustical, and musical excellence.