Teatro alla Scala
The world's major opera house

The world famous opera house Teatro alla Scala lies at the piazza that carries its name, at the northern end of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The square offers a nice place to sit and watch the crowd, under the eye of Leonardo da Vinci 's statue. See the virtual view.

The facade of the Scala itself does not have much to offer however, except during performance evenings when it is nicely illuminated. The interior is magnificent however, warm, cosy, intimate and beautifully decorated. All the independently lit boxes give it the impression of a little city.

The Scala theater was completely renovated from 2002-2004. Seats now include monitors that present the opera libretti in English, Italian and the original language .

La Scala's season traditionally opens on 7 December, Saint Ambrose's Day, the feast day of Milan's patron saint.

Tickets for opera performances are expensive and hard to lay hand on, although remaining tickets are sold on performance days. Show up at 13.00hr on the day of the performance and have your name put on a list, come back at 17:30. If they call your name you collect a number then wait till 18:30 to go in and buy your ticket.

You may find it easier to get tickets for other performances than opera though. Have a look at the recitals or smaller scale concerts. Another option is to take a tour from the Museo Teatrale alla Scala and have a peek in the (empty) theater.

Information on seating availability and guidelines for purchasing subscriptions and tickets: tel +39 0272003744 every day from 9 -6. There is also a Central Box Office , in the Duomo Metro station. Open every day from 12-6.

Completely accessible to the disabled (but no parking).

A bite of Italian : the name La Scala originates from the Veronese Della Scala family that founded a church, later demolished, on the location of the theater.

Address: Via Filodrammatici 2
Open: 2hrs before performances
Tel: 02 72003744
Website: www.teatroallascala.org