Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Dating from 1778, one of the world's oldest and most famous theaters now opens its doors to everyone

Opera for all

Why La Scala is one of the world's most iconic theaters

5 Facts You Need to Know About La Scala Theater in Milan

Discover things you never knew about Milan's grand old opera house

Why La Scala is So Famous

From the church underneath to the legendary "baptism of fire"...

The theater comes to you

Step on stage, watch the rehearsals, and see the costumes up close

Part 1

On stage

The setting, the stars, and the scores

Part 2

Backstage

Costumes, rehearsals, and the hidden magic that makes a show

Part 3

Beyond the stage

Sets designed by David Hockney, art, architecture, and archives

What does 'La Scala' mean?

The staircase

Step on stage

Take a Tour of La Scala Stage and Auditorium

Did you know that horses used to parade the theater?

See for yourself

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The Boxes

Once privately owned by nobles who could decorate them however they wanted

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The Chandelier

La Scala was the first public building in Milan to have electricity

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The Toscanini Foyer

A former gambling hub

Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse

Explore the bits you don't normally get to see at La Scala Theater

ExploreBackstage

ExploreThe Orchestra Pit

ExploreThe Prompter Pit

ExploreInside the Chandelier

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The Ansaldo Workshop

The old steelworks where 150 works create the whole staging from a simple sketch

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The Theater Museum

See Verdi's death mask, a curious crystal flute and Napoleon's dress sword

Explore through color

From purple-hued performances to green gowns

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The Productions You Wish You'd Been At

The shows the shocked, inspired, and awed

More Than a Fancy Night Out...

Gossip, spying, sex, and scandal: a history of the Scala audience

You Saw It Here First

Premieres at La Scala: the successes and the fiascos

VIP Parade

The famous names

Get Ready for "La Prima"

Rub shoulders with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at opening night

The curtain lifts

Top 5 Scala Performances of All Time

Verdi, Salieri, Paganini, and more!

From fires to festival

Who wrote the first opera performed at La Scala?

Salieri

How to make an opera

What goes into making it happen?

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Behind the Scenes of Giselle

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The Making of Tosca

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A Glimpse of Carmen

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Video

Behind the Scenes of Tosca

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Behind the Scenes of Attila

Opera is not just for old people

New audiences are rising

The Kids' Performances

La Scala has a long history of producing shows for children

Face the music

Some of the craziest, most dramatic expressions from La Scala's stage

L'elisir D'amore

L'italiana In Algeri

La Traviata

La Strada / Le Jeune Homme Et La Mort - Le Jeune Homme Et La Mort

Serata Petit - Carmen

Il Barbiere Di Siviglia

Haensel E Gretel

Turandot

Parsifal

Tosca

Tristan Und Isolde

Il Figliuol Prodigo/giselle - Giselle

Know the score

The baton-wielding conductors who bring the music to life

Meet the maestro

Daniel Barenboim

The conductor who brought in the bicentennial

Meet the maestro

Riccardo Chailly

The conductor who came full circle

Meet the maestro

Riccardo Muti

The conductor who made a record number of appearances

Meet the maestro

Arturo Toscanini

The conductor who became a Household Name

Meet the maestro

Claudio Abbado

The conductor who opened up opera for the masses

Zoom into the music

Compositions and operatic scores from Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini and Verdi and more

The Manuscript Archive

From an unknown composition by Mozart to Paganini's will

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Who out of this list did NOT have their debut at La Scala?

Andrea Bocelli

The ultimate divas

Maria Callas, Carla Fracci, and more icons of the stage

Anna Bolena

Medea

Macbeth

Poliuto

Norma

Sonnambula / Spettro Della Rosa / Suite - La Sonnambula

Un Ballo In Maschera

I Vespri Siciliani

Erwartung/volo/la Follia - La Follia D'orlando

Ball.imperiale/macbeths/mandarino/españa - The Macbeths

Cenerentola

Concerto Barocco/lago/bourrée Fantasque - Il Lago Dei Cigni

Contagio/notti Egiziane/bourrée Fantasque - Notti Egiziane

Excelsior

Cenerentola

Concerto Barocco/lago/bourrée Fantasque - Il Lago Dei Cigni

See more images of the actors

Bravo!

Meet the talented artists who became the stars of La Scala

Singing the Praises of the Chorus

The voices that bring the performances alive

The Unforgettable Personalities Who Called La Scala Home

Legendary triumphs, epic downfalls, and undisputed talent

Twirl Through The History of The Ballet Company

From defying a ban of women on stage to Rudolf Nureyev's debut

Work hard, perform harder

Explore where artists become experts

ExploreBallet Rehearsal Cecchetti

ExploreOrchestra Rehearsal room

ExploreChorus Rehearsal room

ExploreDressing rooms

The people who pull it all together

The backstage stars who make the magic happen

How Set Designers Transform a Theater

An insight into the months of work that goes into props, scenery, and costumes

The Academy Where Singers, Sound Technicians, and Soloists Learn Together

A unique world for training absolutely everyone who works at the opera

From sketch to stitch

The drawings behind some La Scala's best costume designs

8 Beautiful and Intricate Costume Designs

The figurines behind the frocks

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Simon Boccanegra

Filippo Peroni (?)

Hänsel and Gretel

Bianchini

The Pirate

Anonymous

Turandot

Umberto Brunelleschi(1879-1949)

Giovanna d'Arco

Peroni(?)-De Capitani (?)

Ariane et Barbe bleue

Pipein Gamba(Giuseppe Garuti 1868-1954)

A peek into the workshop

Take a sneak peek of the Caramba Pavilion where tailors creates and readapt the iconic costumes

ExploreThe Costume Shop

ExploreThe Fabric Storage

Dressed to impress

Costumes captured in super high-resolution

The story behind the costume

Aida

See the sequins and gems up close

The story behind the costume

Oedipus Rex

Dresses so rigid the performers had to be carried on stage

The story behind the costume

Dressing Maria Callas

A collection of her bests costumes

The story behind the costume

La Traviata

Designing the perfect silhouette

The story behind the costume

Turco in Italia

Funny and imaginitive costume

The story behind the costume

The Elegance of Rossini

Restored costumes from his iconic performances

See all the costumes

Explore the looks

From Armani to Lagerfeld: Where Haute Couture Meets Opera

Flowing ball gowns, sharp dinner suits and neckpieces with enough sparkle to blind

Filling the bill

Posters from the most iconic performances

Poster for Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

Poster for Francesca da Rimini by Riccardo Zandonai

Poster for Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

Poster for the ballet Sport by Manzotti-Marenco

Poster for Parisina by Pietro Mascagni

Poster for Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss

Ready, sets, go!

The dreamy world of set design at La Scala

Beautiful paintings

Baby Got Backdrop

The set designs that take the audience to a whole new world

Iconic artists

From David Hockney to De Chirico

4 famous artists who designed sets at La Scala

A picture paints a thousand worlds

Explore the fantasy locations created by artists like Giacomo Balla and more

Sketch for Il mandarino meraviglioso by B.Bartok

Enrico Prampolini (1894-1956)

Sketch by Alessandro Sanquirico

Alessandro Sanquirico

Sketch by R.Fontana-"Hall of the royal council of Portugal" for L'Africaine by G.Meyerbeer

Carlo Ferrario (1833-1907)

Sketch by V.Rota-" The castle of Castellor"- for Il Trovatore by G.Verdi

Vittorio Rota (1864-?)

Sketch by C.Ferrario-"Interior of the temple of Indra"-for Le Roi de Lahore by J.Massenet

Carlo Ferrario (1833-1907)

Sketch by Alessandro Sanquirico

Alessandro Sanquirico

Sketch for the ballet Feu d'artifice

Giacomo Balla (18 July 1871 – 1 March 1958)

Sketch by A.Rovescalli-"Interno di padiglione"- for Le Rossignol by I.Strawinskij

(Odoardo) Antonio Rovescalli (1864-1936)

Which artist made the set for The Rake's Progress?

David Hockney

The Rake's Progress

La Scala in Art

All the world's a stage

The complex layers of an opera stage

ExploreThe StageLook ahead

ExploreThe First GridLook up

ExploreThe Second GridLook up

ExploreThe SubstageLook down

ExploreThe Stage PitLook down

How many seats does La Scala have?

2,000

Don Giovanni

An architectural marvel

Explore some of the most interesting spots at La Scala Theater

The Chameleon Theater

Red velvet, winged chariots, and... Austrian spies

Learn about the building

ExploreThe Botta's stairway

ExploreThe Rooftop Terrace

ExploreThe Hall Ceiling

ExploreThe Fly Floor

The changing face of an icon

How the theater building has looked across the ages

The Teatro alla Scala façade in 1852

Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Sketches by Mario Botta

View of the Teatro Grande alla Scala, drawing by Giuseppe Piermarini engraving by Domenico Aspari.

Domenico Aspari (1745-1831)

Facade of La Scala Theatre

Explore La Scala Through Time

Did you know that box owners were originally allowed to decorate them to their own taste?

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Always look at the bright side

La Scala shines even away from the spotlight

ExploreThe Arturo Toscanini Foyer

ExploreThe Golden Room

ExploreThe Gallery Foyer

ExploreThe Red Room