Teatro Alla Scala

In 1776 a fire destroyed Milan's opera house, the Teatro Regio Ducale, built in 1717. Empress Maria Theresa, who was also Duchess of Milan ordered the construction of a new opera house at the site of the 15th century church of Santa Maria della Scala, which was razed to make way for the new building. The opera house, named Teatro alla Scala after the church, was designed by court architect Giuseppe Piermarini. Construction of the building took just two years and the opera house was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 with Antoni Salieri's l'Europa Riconosciuta.

The opera house was destroyed during the bombardments of Milan in 1943. It was the first public building that was reconstructed after the war and it opened already on 11 May 1946 with a concert directed by Arturo Toscanini, who returned from the United States 17 years after he fled from the fascist regime in 1929.

The exterior of the Scala is rather sober such an important building, probably because it was originally located at a rather narrow street; the Piazza della Scala was only created in 1858. The façade shows a three-bay carriage entrance topped by a neoclassical front with pilasters and a central pediment.

In contrast with the exterior, the building's interior is sumptuous. Its foyer is decorated with fluted columns and large mirrors line the walls. The auditorium, known for its exceptional acoustics, has a seating capacity of just over 2,000. It is lavishly decorated with red velvet, silk and gilded stucco. The chandelier is made of bohemian cristal and contains 365 lamps. The podium is one of the world's largest with to total surface of 1200 sq meter.

The theater Museum was founded in 1913 with the purchase of a collection of Jules Sambon, a Parisian antique dealer who had a unique collection of theatrical attributes. The museum depicts the history of the Theatro alla Scala and the history of the opera in general with a display of objects such as posters, paintings, statues, set designs, instruments, original musical scores and other theatrical memorabilia. A large section of the museum is dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, one of Italy's most famous composers.