Teatro alla Scala (the practical complement to the La Scala opera guide, the specific operational information that determines whether your La Scala experience actually happens as planned) has three visitor formats that the first-time visitor needs to distinguish: the opera or ballet performance (the primary Scala experience, the evening or afternoon program of the main season, December 7 to July). The guided backstage tour (the specific technical tour of the stage machinery, the costume workshops, and the auditorium that the Scala offers to pre-booked groups and individuals when the rehearsal schedule permits). And the museum visit (see the la-scala-milan-opera-guide for the full museum description, the Museo Teatrale with the auditorium view from the upper gallery boxes).
The Sant'Ambrogio opening night (December 7, the feast of the patron saint of Milan, the specific Milanese social calendar date on which the La Scala season opens with the most glamorous single event of the Italian opera year): the December 7 opening (the "Prima", the world premiere or the season premiere of the opera chosen by the artistic director for the most prominent position, typically a new production of a standard repertoire work with the most internationally recognized conductor and singers available): the Piazza della Scala outside the theater on December 7 is the specific Milan civic ritual, the demonstrators (who annually protest outside on several political and social causes, in the specific Italian tradition of using the maximum publicity moment for maximum political visibility), the fur coats (the specific Milan fashion display that the December 7 Scala audience brings to the opera house steps), and the television cameras (all Italian national channels broadcast the Scala opening night live, the most watched single cultural broadcast of the Italian television year).
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Teatro alla Scala: Practical Details
The Loggione
The loggione (the standing gallery at the very top of the La Scala auditorium, the fourth and highest ring of the house, where the standing audience watches the performance at maximum height and minimum cost): the loggionisti (the specific Scala loggione regulars, the knowledgeable, opinionated, vocal opera enthusiasts whose standing position at the top of the house gives them both the worst sightlines and the most unfettered acoustics, and whose specific tradition of vocal response, the "boo" that the Scala loggione deploys against unsatisfactory performances, the "bravo" that it reserves for the genuinely excellent) are the most discussed audience in the world: the specific historical episodes of loggione rejection (Domingo's 2006 Scala debut as Otello, partially booed. Bocelli's 2006 Scala attempt, extensively booed, the loggione's verdict on crossover artists is consistently negative) are as much part of the Scala tradition as the performances themselves. Standing tickets for the loggione: approximately €15-25, available at the box office on the performance day from 12:00.
Teatro Alla Scala: tours & tickets
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See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.The Dress Code
The La Scala dress code (the specific formal expectation that the management publishes on the website and that the front-of-house staff enforces with variable strictness depending on the performance level, premiere versus standard season performance): for the Prima and the premium openings (the first nights of new productions, the celebrated conductor or singer events): jacket and tie required for men, evening dress appropriate for women. For the standard season performances: smart casual to formal, no jeans, no trainers, no shorts. The loggione standing gallery: slightly less formal in practice (the regulars wear what they have worn for decades. The management focuses formal enforcement on the seated sections).
Q&A: Teatro alla Scala Practical
What is the La Scala backstage tour?
The La Scala backstage tour (organized through the Scala educational and hospitality department, teatroallascala.org/en/la-scala/backstage-tour): the tour (approximately 90 minutes, groups of maximum 20 people, pre-booking required) covers the stage (the specific technical stage of the Scala, the 1000-square-meter stage with the trap machinery, the flying systems, and the specific Italian opera stage engineering tradition), the costume and prop workshops (the Scala's in-house production facilities that create the costumes and sets for new productions), and the auditorium from the stage level (the specific perspective of looking out from the Scala stage into the 2,030-seat house, the view that the singers have from the performance position). Tours are limited and must be booked well in advance. Check availability through the Scala website.
Internal Links
- La Scala: La Guida Completa alla Stagione
- Opera Italiana: La Scala vs Arena di Verona
- Milano in Inverno: La Scala e il 7 Dicembre
- Fotografare La Scala: Esterno e Prima
- Cena Prima della Scala: I Classici Milanesi
- Teatri Italiani: La Scala nel Circuito Operistico
- Milano Culturale: Brera, Pinacoteca e La Scala
