Considered one of the most important and famous theatres in the world, the Teatro alla Scala has hosted the most revered musicians and thespians.
La Scala is a sacred place for music and, in particular, opera lovers. All worldwide famous singers and musicians have walked the Milanese stage: composers like Rossini, Verdi (the house composer for decades), Puccini, Toscanini, Abbado, Barenboim and Riccardo Chailly; from renown singers (Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Mirella Freni, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Nicolai Ghiaurov) and prominent directors (Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli and Luca Ronconi), to celebrated choreographers and ballet dancers (George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, Carla Fracci, Luciana Savignano and Roberto Bolle).
Founded at the behest of Empress Maria Teresa of Austria and designed by architect Giuseppe Piermarini, the Teatro alla Scala was inaugurated in 1778 with “Europa riconosciuta” (“Europa recognized”), an opera piece by Antonio Salieri. From that time onwards, though renovated and refurbished several times, the theatre has retained all of its allure and magic. Its elegant Neo-classical façade, its stuccoes and mirrors in the foyer, the magnificent auditorium swathed in gold and red, the glitter of its huge crystal chandelier and the impressive dimensions and complexity of the stage settings are all elements that make an evening at La Scala an unforgettable experience.
The musical event of the year at Teatro alla Scala is hosted on December 7th – a holiday dedicated to Saint Ambrose, the city’s patron saint – and marks the opening of the opera season, attended by the cream of Milanese and international society.
For theatre lovers, La Scala is an unmissable stop!
