PIAZZA DELLA SCALA

Description

Essentials about Piazza della Scala in brief

Piazza della Scala is one of the most famous squares in Italy. The square is located directly in front of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan’s world-famous opera house. On the opposite side is the beautiful late Renaissance Palazzo Marino, which is now the seat of Milan’s city government. By the way, the most beautiful and interesting way to get to Piazza della Scala is through the noble Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade, which connects the square directly to Piazza del Duomo.

The history and architecture of Piazza della Scala

Although Piazza della Scala is located in front of the Teatro alla Scala, the name of the square does not derive from the world-famous opera house. Rather, it dates back to the late 14th century church of Santa Maria della Scala, named in honor of the wife of Milanese Prince Bernabò Visconti, Regina della Scala.

Piazza della Scala is one of the younger squares of Milan. When the oldest building in the square, Palazzo Marino, was built in the 16th century, Piazza della Scala did not even exist. In fact, the main façade of Palazzo Marino faced Piazza San Fedele, as buildings still stood on the site of today’s Piazza della Scala. Even when the world-famous opera house La Scala was built in 1778, there was a street in front of its main facade and not yet a square.

It was not until the end of the 19th century that the Municipality of Milan initiated a fundamental redevelopment of the surrounding area, which included the construction of a square between Palazzo Marino and the Teatro alla Scala. The architect of the square was the famous Luca Beltrami, who also designed Palazzo Beltrami, the new façade of Palazzo Marino facing the square and the building of Banca Commerciale Italiana.

In the center of the square is a marble statue of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent many years of his life in Milan. At Leonardo’s feet are sculptures of four of his students. The reliefs on the monument represent the four main disciplines of the polymath: Architecture, Painting, Sculpture and Engineering.