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Milan is where Italian opera goes to be judged. The city gave the form its most famous house, and for two centuries the premieres that mattered — Verdi's Nabucco, Otello and Falstaff, Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Ponchielli's La Gioconda — all opened here first.

This page brings together the opera, ballet and concert performances currently scheduled in Milan. Choose a title to see its full run of dates.

Teatro alla Scala

La Scala opened on 3 August 1778, built by the architect Giuseppe Piermarini on the site of the church of Santa Maria alla Scala — which is where the theatre takes its name. It seats roughly two thousand people across a horseshoe of six tiers, and it sits just off Piazza della Scala, a minute's walk from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Duomo.

The top gallery is the loggione, home to the most opinionated audience in opera; its occupants, the loggionisti, have been known to make their verdict heard before the curtain has finished falling. Below them, the boxes were once privately owned by Milanese families who furnished them to their own taste.

The house closed for a full restoration between 2002 and 2004, overseen by the architect Mario Botta, while the company performed at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in the Bicocca district. Its resident orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala, was founded in 1982 by Claudio Abbado; the conductors associated with the house run from Arturo Toscanini through Abbado and Riccardo Muti to Riccardo Chailly.

The Milan season

La Scala opens its season every year on 7 December, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, patron saint of Milan — the single most prominent night in the Italian cultural calendar, and traditionally a new production. The season then runs through to the following autumn, mixing opera with ballet and the Filarmonica's symphonic programme.

Milan's other stages carry their own programmes: the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Bicocca for large-scale touring productions, and the Teatro Dal Verme, near Cairoli, for orchestral and chamber concerts.

Opera in Milan — Frequently Asked Questions

When does the opera season in Milan start? The Teatro alla Scala season opens on 7 December each year and continues into the following autumn, so there are performances scheduled across most of the calendar.

How do I get to Teatro alla Scala? The theatre is in Via Filodrammatici, on Piazza della Scala. Metro lines M1 and M3 stop at Duomo, two minutes away on foot; M3 also stops at Montenapoleone.

What time do performances start? Evening performances in Milan generally begin around 20:00, with matinees in the afternoon. Full-length operas can run past midnight once intervals are included. Always check the start time shown on your ticket.

Is there a dress code? There is no formal requirement, though opening night on 7 December is a notably formal occasion. Most audiences dress smartly for evening performances.

Also in the city: theatre in Milan · concerts in Milan.