Teatro alla Scala

Daytime neoclassical facade of Teatro alla Scala Milan, three-arch rusticated portico, Italian and EU flags on the balustrade and Apollo chariot pediment under clear blue sky
Location: Milan, ItalyType: Opera HouseYear: 1778Architect: Giuseppe PiermariniPhotographer: John Picken, Daniel Case, Franco Folini, Zairon, Reem Al-Kashif, Phyrexian, Bramfab, Jon Rosenoer, Wolfgang Moroder, Avisadehh
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Teatro alla Scala by Giuseppe Piermarini in Milan, Italy

Teatro alla Scala — known worldwide as La Scala — is Milan’s historic neoclassical opera house on Piazza della Scala, designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Piermarini for the city that stands at the heart of Italy’s lyric tradition. Built on the cleared site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala and opened on 3 August 1778 with Antonio Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta, it remains among the world’s leading houses for opera and ballet.

Piazza della Scala view of Teatro alla Scala portico and Apollo pediment, globe lamppost, summer pedestrians and tree foliage under soft cloud

From the Teatro Regio Ducale fire to the 1778 opening

A fire destroyed Milan’s previous Teatro Regio Ducale on 25 February 1776; ninety box-holders petitioned Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este for a new theatre, and Piermarini’s second neoclassical scheme was approved by Empress Maria Theresa. Builders Pietro Marliani, Pietro Nosetti and Antonio and Giuseppe Fe completed the house in about two years. The auditorium originally held some 3,000 spectators in pit stalls and six tiers of boxes beneath a loggione gallery; its stage remains among Italy’s largest at roughly 16 metres deep by 20 metres wide and 26 metres high.

Low-angle street view of Teatro alla Scala portico, Corinthian piano nobile, five-globe lamppost, Piccolo Teatro totem and summer crowds on the paving

Premieres, the loggione and the red-and-gold hall

From Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti through Verdi’s Nabucco, Otello and Falstaff to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Turandot, La Scala has hosted the premieres that defined Italian opera. The crimson-and-gold horseshoe hall — red velvet boxes, gilt fronts, crystal chandelier and diamond-coffered ceiling — is as famous as the pale stone facade with its Apollo chariot pediment. Above the boxes the loggione still gathers the fiercely critical loggionisti, and the season opens each year on 7 December, the feast of Milan’s patron Saint Ambrose.

Horseshoe auditorium of Teatro alla Scala from the rear stalls, six tiers of red-and-gold boxes, closed crimson curtain, crystal chandelier and diamond-coffered ceiling

1946 reopening and the 2002–2004 Botta renovation

Wartime bombing in 1943 wrecked much of the house; it reopened on 11 May 1946 with a concert led by Arturo Toscanini. A further major campaign from early 2002 to late 2004, with architecture by Mario Botta, rebuilt the stage and backstage, improved acoustics by removing heavy carpets, and added electronic libretto screens before the company returned on 7 December 2004 with Salieri’s inaugural opera. Capacity today is about 2,030; the attached Museo Teatrale alla Scala and Accademia Teatro alla Scala complete the complex.

Audience filling Teatro alla Scala stalls before a performance, six red-and-gold horseshoe tiers, crystal chandelier and diamond plaster ceiling toward the crimson curtain

Facade, foyer and the photographs

The photographs here favour sharp modern Commons frames of the Piazza della Scala facade by day — portico, flags and Apollo pediment — then the red-and-gold auditorium under the chandelier, side boxes toward the stage, and the columned foyer with crystal lights and composer busts. Those interiors are as much the story as Piermarini’s neoclassical exterior, which is why the project is tagged Interior Design as well as Commercial.

Looking straight up at Teatro alla Scala crystal chandelier and diamond-coffered dome, concentric gilt plaster rings and classical frieze

Photography and credits

Credits span John Picken, Daniel Case, Franco Folini, Zairon, Reem Al-Kashif, Phyrexian, Bramfab, Jon Rosenoer, Wolfgang Moroder and Avisadehh under CC BY / BY-SA / CC0 licences as noted on each file.

Warm upward view of Teatro alla Scala coffered dome and crystal chandelier, gilt frieze figures and crimson upper-box fronts along the rim

Teatro alla Scala gallery

Daytime neoclassical facade of Teatro alla Scala Milan, three-arch rusticated portico, Italian and EU flags on the balustrade and Apollo chariot pediment under clear blue skyStreet view of Teatro alla Scala pale stone facade with pedimented piano-nobile windows, Italian and EU flags, pedestrians, scooter and tram wires under light cloudPiazza della Scala view of Teatro alla Scala portico and Apollo pediment, globe lamppost, summer pedestrians and tree foliage under soft cloudWide plaza shot of Teatro alla Scala beige facade with ornate black four-globe lamppost, cobbles, parked cars and digital kiosk under deep blue skyLow-angle street view of Teatro alla Scala portico, Corinthian piano nobile, five-globe lamppost, Piccolo Teatro totem and summer crowds on the pavingClose-up of Teatro alla Scala triangular pediment with Apollo chariot bas-relief, attic windows lit within and Corinthian capitals beneath pale skyHorseshoe auditorium of Teatro alla Scala from the rear stalls, six tiers of red-and-gold boxes, closed crimson curtain, crystal chandelier and diamond-coffered ceilingUpper-box view toward Teatro alla Scala stage, gilded box fronts with globe lamps, red velvet linings, orchestra pit stands and classical set under the proscenium crestAudience filling Teatro alla Scala stalls before a performance, six red-and-gold horseshoe tiers, crystal chandelier and diamond plaster ceiling toward the crimson curtainSide-box view of Teatro alla Scala looking to the lit stage set and orchestra pit, stacked gilt balcony fronts with globe sconces and red velvet railsLooking straight up at Teatro alla Scala crystal chandelier and diamond-coffered dome, concentric gilt plaster rings and classical friezeLooking up Teatro alla Scala ceiling chandelier with red-curtained upper boxes, gilt proscenium edge and warm globe lamps around the horseshoeWarm upward view of Teatro alla Scala coffered dome and crystal chandelier, gilt frieze figures and crimson upper-box fronts along the rimSide angle over Teatro alla Scala stalls to the open stage and village set, four tiers of gilt red boxes with globe lamps and proscenium crestVertical view up Teatro alla Scala side boxes, crimson damask linings, gilt friezes with winged figures, globe sconces and patrons at a lower railLong foyer gallery of Teatro alla Scala with fluted Corinthian columns, crystal chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors, parquet floor and marble bustTeatro alla Scala foyer with fluted marble Corinthian columns, crystal chandeliers, polished stone floor and Donizetti statue beyond gilt cornicesTeatro alla Scala foyer looking past rope barrier to doorway, white fluted columns with gilt capitals, parquet floor, mirrors and crystal chandelier

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