Like a mythological creature, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan rose from the ashes of a fire, in a sacred place. At the end of the XVIII century, the largest theatre in Milan, the Regio Ducale opera house, was burnt to the ground, and the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered the construction of a new theatre, the largest and more modern opera house that had ever existed. It was erected in the sacred area of the ruins of Santa Maria della Scala church, dating back from the XIV century, from which the theatre derived its name. 

The distinguished architect Giuseppe Piermarini designed and managed its construction, completed in 1778. He impressed the elegant and rational Neoclassical style upon the building. Piermarini’s ingenuity gave the Scala Opera House not only complex stage equipment but also all the comfort that the audience could wish, including heating system and washrooms.

The Teatro alla Scala showed its international standing right from the start, since its opening with L’Europa riconosciuta by Salieri. The Opera House and its operas were able to resist and adjust to the evolving cultural environment surrounding them, with different dominations, from the Austrian Empire to Napoleon, and finally to the unification of Italy. At the end of the XIX century, among the stalls reserved for the nobility, the gallery was opened, determining the access of ordinary people to the Great Italian Opera.

After the Teatro alla Scala became a place for all Italians, it suffered the bombings of World War II. Despite the hardship, Italy found resources to proceed to the reconstruction of the roof and other damaged part sas soon as the conflict ended. The resurrected theatre was inaugurated with La gazza ladra by Toscanini, who had returned to Italy after his voluntary exile under fascism.

New restoration works were carried out in 2004, allowing the enlargement of the Scala Opera House with the creation of two new towers by architect Mario Botta. The two volumes stand behind the original building, highlighting the prominent historical façade. Thanks to the introduction stage machinery, the Teatro alla Scala opera house in Milan keeps improving, aiming at offering ever higher quality and synthesis of ‘seasonal’ theatre and ‘repertoire’ operas.