Teatro alla Scala

The Teatro alla Scala, often called just La Scala, was built in 1776 for want of Maria Teresa d'Austria, following the terrible fire that, in that same year, completely destroyed the Teatro Regio Ducale where, until that time, the lyrical representations of the city had been hosted.

The Theatre was inaugurated on August 3rd 1778 with the opera by Antonio Salieri called "L'Europa Riconosciuta". After a first period almost exclusively dedicated to the funny Napolitan opera's, at the end of the 18th century La Scala evoluted and hosted many International opera's, especially French.

During the 19th century the Teatro alla Scala became the stage par excellence for Italian melodrama, Rossini being the main exponent with great opera's like "Il barbiere di Siviglia" and "La Donna del Lago". Memorable were the opera's by Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti,  and Giuseppe Verdi.

In 1921 the Borough of Milan bought the Teatro alla Scala from its private owners and relaunched its image on both a National and International level. In that period the lyrical scene was dominated by opera's by Giacomo Puccini like "La Madama Butterfly" and "Turandot".

Nowadays, La Scala is the most prestigious lyrical theatre in the world and it hosts the most important lyrical opera's of the past and the present. The theatre has a 2,030 seating capacity, gained after the restoration works carried out between the years 2000 and 2004, which were mainly referred to the monumental area and the scenic tower.