Description

Essentials about La Scala in brief

Alongside the Met in New York City and the State Opera in Vienna, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan is probably the best-known and most important opera house in the world. The opera house, usually just called “La Scala” for short, is located on the eponymous Piazza della Scala in the center of Milan. La Scala has room for 2,030 spectators. If you are in Milan, you should definitely try to get a ticket for one of these seats. If you don’t succeed, you can learn about the history of the legendary opera house at the in-house Museo Teatrale alla Scala or take a guided tour of the house.

The history of La Scala

The Teatro alla Scala is the successor building to the Teatro Regio Ducale, which burned down in 1776. The Austrian empress Maria Theresa had the church of Santa Maria alla Scala demolished in the capital of the then Austrian Lombardy for the new building and the very simple-looking new opera house built by the classicist architect Giuseppe Piermarini in a record-breaking construction time of only 23 months. The entrance is formed by a vestibule with a portico. Above the row of windows is a pediment with the sun chariot of Apollo. The new theater was opened on August 3, 1778 with the premiere of Antonio Salieri’s opera L’Europa riconosciuta.

After severe damage from bombing during World War II, the legendary opera house was rebuilt in record time after the war. As early as May 1946, La Scala reopened with a concert under star conductor Arturo Toscanini. However, the hasty reconstruction resulted in serious construction defects that made a fundamental renovation urgently necessary. Despite massive protests in favor of careful modernization, the Teatro alla Scala was partially demolished. Only the foyer, the auditorium and the outer walls remained standing. The entire rear section, starting with the stage, was rebuilt.

From 2002 to 2004, La Scala in Milan was closed in order to update the acoustics and stage technology. In the course of this renovation, the original furnishings from 1778 were reconstructed in the foyer and auditorium.

Website

teatroallascala.org

museoscala.org

Opening hours

Opening hours museum:

Admission fees

Admission fees Museum:

Adults: €12

Seniors (Ages 65 and above): €8

Schüler: €8

Admission fees guided tours:

Regular: €30

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Metro lines 1 and 3: Stop Duomo

Metro line 2: Stop Cordusio

Metro line 3: Stop Montenapoleone

Tram line 1: Stop Teatro Alla Scala

By car:

The nearest car parks are Parking Car Brera, Garage Matteotti and Parking LaRinascente.