La Scala Opera
Milano, Italy

 

 

Why the
La Scala Opera House
is special

It is the world's most stunning and renowned opera house. The La Scala Opera House staging and acoustics are splendid - and you can feel the emotions exuded by performers and audiences alike.

La Scala Opera House
tips & insights

Legendary
staging

La Scala Opera has long been known for its grand staging. Singers, musicians and stagehands have sometimes outnumbered the audience. Decades ago when I attended, a real elephant was used in the Grand March of its Aida production.

La Scala Opera is
noted for its critical audience

The audience is hard to please. Until 2004, there was a cheap-ticket gallery. The occupants would loudly whistle (an insult) if a singer performed poorly.

Construction
history in brief

La Scala Opera House was born in 1778 and has since undergone several major refurbishments and renovations. One was to repair World War II bombing damage. The most recent was completed in 2004.

Tickets are
in high demand

They are scarce and prices are high. If you decide to splurge on a box seat, avoid high-tier ones near the stage. Sight lines are poor.

If you are
ticketless

You can enjoy two other La Scala Opera experiences:

Museum
There is an excellent museum in the La Scala Opera House building. It exhibits opera memorabilia.
Tours
Backstage tours are available. From the stage you see La Scala's most striking feature: the gilded box-seat tiers with crimson trimmings (see photo).

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