Perhaps this is the most famous opera house in the world! Premieres of productions by such great composers as Antonio Salieri, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and many others took place on its stage. Yes, indeed, most of the composers who are now considered acknowledged classics of opera music once stood backstage at La Scala, nervous before their first performance.
This theater is truly magnificent! Everyone who has ever visited the famous auditorium has admired its luxurious interior and superb acoustics. Although the exterior of the building seems quite... ordinary, as far as that word can be applied to 18th-century Italian architecture. This is because the architect Giuseppe Piermarini decided not to spend much time and money on decorating the building's facade, because, first, it was located near ordinary residential houses, and second, he was being rushed by the local aristocracy, with whose money the construction was financed. As a result, the theater was built in record time for a project of its scale - just 2 years.
The grand opening took place in 1778. The theater was built on the site where the church of Santa Maria della Scala once stood, so the name "La Scala" comes precisely from the patroness of that church - Beatrice della Scala of the ruling dynasty of Verona, and not at all from the word "staircase" (Italian "scala"), as many believe.
