The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known), in Milan, Italy, is one of the world’s most famous opera houses. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778, under the name Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta. A fire destroyed the previous theatre, the ancient Teatro Ducale, on 25 February 1776, after a carnival gala. A group of ninety wealthy Milanese, who owned palchi (private boxes) in the theatre, wrote to Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria asking for a new theatre and a provisional one to be used while completing the new one. The neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini produced an initial design but it was rejected by Count Firmian (an Austrian governor). Milan is city of fashion and glamor. Great vacation destination.
GPS travel destination: 45° 28′ 4″ N, 9° 11′ 19″ E
