From Italy

La Scala & All'Opera Italiana

Teatro alla ScalaThe most famous opera house in the world, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala (pictured) is the birthplace of the artform. It was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, replacing the Royal Ducal Theatre. The simple exterior reserves the opulence for within: statues of Verdi, Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti (who all gave premieres of the first performances of their work here) preside over the neo-classical foyer, tiers of red, gold and white boxes encircle the auditorium and massive fluted columns frame the stage. Apart from its sheet beauty and size (2200 seats), La Scala’s acoustics are said to be perfect. One of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world, the venue is home to the La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet and La Scala Theatre Orchestra, as well as the La Scala Theatre Academy. Riccardo Chailly is the Musical Director & Principal Conductor. Frédéric Olivieri is Director of Ballet.

Teatro La FeniceThe exceptional Teatro La Fenice (the Phoenix) in Venice first opened in 1792 to replace the Teatro San Benedetto, destroyed by fire in 1774. La Fenice itself has twice been badly damaged by fire. In 2003 the theatre was restored, closely following the Meduna brothers’ 1837 design. Known worldwide for its dramatic beauty, La Fenice is also known for being the cradle of many great operas. It was the site of the infamous fiasco at the premiere of La Traviata, and of the great triumphs of Tancredi, Ernani and Rigoletto that helped launch the careers of Rossini and Verdi.

Inaugurated in 1740, Turin's grand opera house, Teatro Regio Torino, hosted the world premieres of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and La Bohème, and the Italian premiere of Strauss’s Salome. Destroyed by fire in 1936, the amazing new Carlo Mollino-designed building was opened in 1973.

Teatro dell'Opera di RomaTaking its current name at the advent of the republic, Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera di Roma performs from the beautiful, 1600-seat Costanzi Theatre, first inaugurated in 1880. This iconic venue hosted the world premiere of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Puccini’s Tosca among others. Terme di Caracalla is Opera di Roma’s extraordinary open-air theatre, set amidst the ruins of the ancient Roman baths (216 A.D.), a site where the company has performed its Summer Season since 1937. Michele Mariotti is Opera di Roma’s current Music Director.

A work of art in itself, Florence’s astonishing 1800-seat Opera di Firenze was born as a legacy of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, which commenced in 1933. Designed by the architect Paolo Desideri and inaugurated on May 10, 2014, the building represents one of the most ambitious urban projects of recent history.

First inaugurated as the Nuovo Teatro Pubblico in 1763 with a performance of Gluck’s The Triumph of Clelia, Bologna’s 1034-seat Teatro Comunale is Italy’s oldest existing opera house after Naples’ San Carlo, and was the first publicly funded house in the world. 

Constructed in 30 AD between the rule of Augustus and that of Claudio, Arena di Verona is the largest Roman amphitheatre still in use. The venue, 140x100metres and 31 metres high has an effective seating capacity of 30,000. The Opera Festival at the Arena di Verona began in 10th August 1913, with the first performance of Aida organized by Verona tenor Giovanni Zenatello and impresario Ottone Rovato to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi. For over a hundred years (except for two short breaks during the two World Wars), every summer the Roman amphitheatre is transformed into the world’s largest open-air opera theatre, with 125 shows and over 400,000 paying spectators annually.

presented in association with

Forthcoming productions

Opera di Roma:
6, 7 & 10 Apr 2024

Previously presented by Palace Opera & Ballet

La Scala:
27, 28 & 31 Jan 2024
La Scala:
18, 19 & 22 Nov 2023
La Fenice:
23, 24 & 27 Sep 2023
Opera di Roma:
16, 17 & 20 Sep 2023
La Scala:
10, 11 & 14 Jun 2023
La Scala:
28, 29 Jan & 1 Feb 2023
Opera di Roma:
8, 9 & 12 Oct 2022
La Fenice:
1, 2 & 5 Oct 2022
Opera di Roma:
10, 11 & 14 Sep 2022
La Scala:
29, 30 Jan & 2 Feb 2022
La Scala:
18, 19 & 22 Dec 2021
La Scala:
27 & 28 Nov, 1 Dec 2021
Opera di Roma:
7, 8 & 11 Aug 2021
Opera di Roma:
17, 18 & 21 Apr 2021
Opera di Roma:
27, 28 Feb & 3 Mar 2021
La Scala Ballet:
20, 21 & 24 Feb 2021
La Scala:
6, 7 & 10 Feb 2021
La Scala:
17, 18 & 21 Oct 2020
Arena di Verona:
12, 13 & 16 Sep 2020
La Scala:
7, 8, 9 & 12 Feb 2020
La Scala:
29, 30 Nov & 1, 4 Dec 2019
La Scala Ballet:
25, 26, 27 & 30 Oct 2019
La Scala:
4, 5, 6 & 9 Oct 2019
La Scala:
1, 2, 3 & 6 Feb 2019
Opera di Roma:
3, 4, 5 & 8 Aug 2018
La Scala Ballet:
22, 23, 24 & 27 Jun 2018
La Scala:
1, 2, 3 & 6 Jun 2018
Opera di Roma:
19, 20, 21, 22, 25 & 29 Apr 2018
Teatro Comunale:
16, 17, 18 & 21 Mar 2018
La Scala:
23, 24, 25 & 28 Feb 2018
Opera di Roma:
17, 18, 19 & 22 Nov 2017
La Scala:
11, 12, 13 & 16 Aug 2017
Opera di Firenze:
23, 24, 25 & 28 Jun 2017
La Scala:
26, 27, 28 & 31 May 2017
Teatro Regio di Torino:
21, 22, 23 & 26 Apr 2017
Opera di Roma:
24, 25, 26 & 29 Mar 2017
La Scala Ballet:
3, 4, 5 & 8 Mar 2017
La Scala:
10, 11, 12 & 15 Feb 2017
La Scala:
9, 10, 11 & 14 Dec 2016
La Scala:
19, 20, 21 & 24 Aug 2016
La Scala:
12, 13, 14 & 17 Aug 2016
La Fenice:
22, 23, 24 & 27 Jul 2016
La Scala:
17, 18, 19 & 22 Jun 2016
Teatro Regio di Torino:
29 & 30 Apr, 1 & 4 May 2016
Opera di Roma:
4, 5, 6 & 9 Mar 2016
La Scala:
12, 13, 14 & 17 Feb 2016
La Scala:
18, 19, 20 & 23 Dec 2015
La Scala:
4, 5, 6 & 9 Dec 2015