The Teatro alla Scala is the main opera house in M...

The Teatro alla Scala is the main opera house in Milan and considered as one of the most prestigious theaters in the world.
It was built with a decree of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria issued at the request of wealthy Milanese families who owned the boxes of the old Regio Ducale which was destroyed in a fire in 1776. The families undertook to bear the costs for the construction of the new theater in exchange for a renewal of the ownership of the boxes. The project was entrusted to the architect Giuseppe Piermarini and the theater was built in the area of the Church of Santa Maria alla Scala, which was demolished to make way for the new theater and from which it took its name: New Regio Teatro Alla Scala.
It was inaugurated on August 3, 1778 with the world premiere of "L'Europa Ricuta" composed for the occasion by Antonio Salieri.
The boxes were owned by wealthy families who decorated them as they pleased, the social status of the owner was recognized by the sumptuousness of the box.
The 700 seats in the stalls were intended for the lower classes and were mobile so that they could be moved to leave the area free where you could dance and even for horse riding competitions.
Legend has it that the theater hosts the ghost of a famous 19th century soprano who died young: Maria Malibran, others have seen the spirit of Maria Callas.
Since 1940 the "First" performance of the theater season has been held on the evening of 7 December, the day that corresponds to Sant'Ambrogio, patron saint of Milan.
From the year of its foundation, the Scala is home to the homonymous orchestra, the choir and the corps de ballet and since 1940 the Philharmonic.
It is located in the square of the same name, flanked by the La Scala Theater Museum which is accessible at certain times for guided tours in Italian, French and English.