The story of this place
Opened in 1778 on the site of the burned church of Santa Maria alla Scala, La Scala became the most prestigious opera house in the world, premiering works by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini. Verdi's career was launched here with 'Nabucco' in 1842, and 'Madama Butterfly' famously flopped on its 1904 premiere before triumphing elsewhere. Its notoriously demanding audience, especially the 'loggionisti' in the top gallery, can make or break a singer with cheers or brutal jeers. Allied bombing gutted the theatre in August 1943; rebuilt to its exact form, it reopened in 1946 with a concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini, a homecoming that symbolised Italy's cultural rebirth.