Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Teatro alla Scala, popularly known as La Scala, is the main opera house in Milan, and one of the most prestigious theaters in the world. The theater is located in the homonymous square, flanked to the west by the Ricordi Casino, home to the La Scala Theater Museum (Museo Teatrale alla Scala). SHORT HISTORY After a fire destroyed the Royal Ducal Theater (Teatro Regio Ducale) on February 26, 1776, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, at the request of Milanese patrician families, issued a decree for the construction of a new theater. The project was entrusted to the famous architect Giuseppe Piermarini. The theater was built on the site of the Church of Santa Maria alla Scala, named after its founder – Regina della Scala, member of the Della Scalla family, Lords of Verona. The demolition of the church began on August 5, 1776, and on May 28, 1778, the theater was completed. On August 3, the theater was inaugurated with Antonio Salieri’s opera Europa riconosciuta, in the presence of the governor of Milan, Archduke Ferdinand of Habsburg-Este, accompanied by Maria Beatrice d’Este, Count Carlo Giuseppe di Firmian and Duke Francesco III d’Este. During 1807, the Read more [...]
All Theaters in Milan
The Teatro alla Scala, inaugurated in 1778 and designed by Giuseppe Piermarini, is among the world’s most celebrated opera houses. Its stage has been associated with composers, conductors, singers, and dancers of international importance, including Giuseppe Verdi and Maria Callas. The adjoining museum documents the history of opera, ballet, and the theatre itself.
The Piccolo Teatro di Milano was founded in 1947 by Giorgio Strehler, Paolo Grassi, and Nina Vinchi as Italy’s first permanent public repertory theatre. Today it operates several venues, including Teatro Grassi and Teatro Strehler, and remains one of Italy’s leading institutions for dramatic theatre, international productions, artistic research, and cultural education.