The temple of opera and its museum
The Teatro alla Scala is the most famous opera house in the world. It was inaugurated in 1778, on the site of the church of Santa Maria alla Scala, from which it takes its name, with a design by Giuseppe Piermarini. Its sober neoclassical façade hides a magnificent horseshoe-shaped auditorium in red and gold, with four tiers of boxes and two galleries, the "loggione", where the most demanding opera fans sit.
The Scala has seen the premieres of operas by Verdi, including Otello and Falstaff, Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Turandot, Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, and the great voices from Maria Callas to Luciano Pavarotti. The season opens every year on 7 December, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, patron of Milan, with one of the most important cultural and social events in Italy. The Museo Teatrale alla Scala displays costumes, instruments, portraits and memorabilia, and from its boxes you can look into the auditorium when there are no rehearsals.
Tip: tickets for performances can be bought online; last-minute gallery seats are sold on the day. The museum is open every day and less expensive.
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