Which are the best opera houses in Italy?
Teatro di San Carlo, Naples  The worlds oldest continuously active opera house first opened its doors on 4 November 1737. With six tiers of boxes, it used to seat more than 3,000, though the composer Spohr thought it was too large. It now seats 1,386. Advertisement  Teatro alla Scala, Milan  On 3 August 1778, Salieris Europa riconosciuta welcomed the first audience to what has since become the worlds most famous opera house, hosting many premieres, not least of Verdi and Puccini. La Fenice, Venice  Built in 1792, Venices La Fenice (The Phoenix) hosted premieres by Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi in the 19th century. It has twice completely burned down, in 1836 and 1996. Teatro Massimo, Palermo  Italys largest opera house in terms of area, if not number of seats, hosted its first performance in 1897. In 1974, a contentious renovation project closed the venue for 23 years. Advertisement  Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari  This 1903 venue enjoyed a reputation for punching above its weight in terms of ambitious programming  until 1991, that is, when a fire ripped right through the building, leading to an 18-year closure.