La Scala Opera House and its square - a short video guide

Website https://www.leonardoamilano.org
Facebook   / leonardoamilano  
Instagram   / leonardoamilano  

La Scala Opera House is one of the most celebrated in the world. Discover how La Scala and its square are more than just a theatre for the Milanese.

Caption:
You are now in the La Scala square, the most celebrated square of Milan together with the Duomo square. I like to point out how this square summarizes all the aspects which make Milan a city of capital importance: culture, finance, trade, political power and fashion. Let's start with La Scala Opera House. Built in 1778, it's arguably the most important and celebrated Opera House in the world. Sometimes tourists are a bit puzzled by the fact that its facade is somewhat unimpressive. I agree, the facade is a bit understating, but its interiors are amazing, a treasure chest of gilded decorations. And you can see them without having to fight for an opera ticket! Simply head for the La Scala Museum, on the left hand side of the Opera House, and if they are not setting up a show you will get the chance to have a look at the Theatre's magnificent interior.

On the left side of the square you can see the former headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Italy. Financial Power has always been important in Milan, which is in fact Italy's financial capital. The building now hosts a brand new museum, showing the bank's rich artistic collection. It's certainly worth a visit,
because of its collection, spanning from the XIX century to contemporary Arte Povera artists,
because of its unusual setting in a former bank building,
and, last but not least, because it's completely free!

Opposite the Opera House there is Palazzo Marino, Milan's City Hall, where the political power of the City resides. Not surprisingly, being Milan so finance-centered, this building was primarily built as the house of a banker in the XVI century. It is now the center of Milan's political power, and sometimes it hosts free art exhibitions.

Finally, you can see the entrance of the celebrated Vittorio Emanuele II arcade. It was the oldest shopping mall in Italy, built at the end of the XIX century, and it connects La Scala square with the Duomo square. It hosts plenty of elegant fashion shops and features a magnificent marble floor under an impressive glass and steel vault. It also has a kind of sinister flavour, because, its designer Giuseppe Mengoni, died by falling down from the glass dome just after the inauguration - if it was accident or suicide will remain an unsolved mystery.

Please have a look at the statue in the center of the square. Can you recognize it? It is the statue of Leonardo da Vinci, who lived in Milan for 17 years and left here an important mark, symbolized especially by the Last Supper.

#lascalatheatre #milan #travelitaly