La Scala, Milan

La Scala is a world-famous opera house in Milan, Italy. 
The La Scala Theater was designed by the architect Giuseppe Piermarini in 1776-1778 on the place of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, hence the name of the famous theater. It was opened on August 3, 1778 with a production of Antonio Salieri's opera Europa riconosciuta.
The building is in neoclassical style. The auditorium features impeccable acoustics. It combines its role of impeccable theater with various amenities for spectators. The building is 100 m long and 38 m wide. In its original form, a portal for receiving carriages was erected in the center of the facade.
The hall is horseshoe-shaped, painted in white, silver and gold tones. The spectator seats are located on five floors with lodges and a gallery. The number of lodges is 194, plus the royal lodge. All lodges are connected by corridors. Behind the lodges was a second row of lodges, which in the first years of the theater's operation were equipped with tables for playing cards and offering drinks. There were 8-10 seats in each box.
The La Scala stage is not big. The ground floor was not originally equipped for spectators, but chairs were placed during performances. Because candles were used to light the stalls, those sitting on the ground floor often came home after the show dripped with wax.
Until the end of the 18th century the building was used for various events and performances - balls, dramatic performances, puppet shows. However, the 4 opera seasons a year are best welcomed - carnival, spring, autumn and summer. During the carnival season, serious opera performances and ballets were presented, and during the other 3 seasons - light, entertaining operas.
In the early 19th century, La Scala became the main stage for Italian opera music. Between 1812 and 1820, the opera house hosted the premieres of Gioachino Rossini's operas. After 1830, La Scala became the most popular opera stage in Italy and a place for premieres of the most popular opera composers in Italy - Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and others.
During the Second World War, the La Scala Theater was destroyed and restored to its original appearance in 1946. Since then, the building has been restored several times. 
The last renovation was completed in 2006 with the renovation of the hall with 2800 seats and the big stage. Since then, there have been guided tours, where you can visit the lodges of the theater and see the magnificent interior and the huge chandelier.