Teatro alla Scala and La Scala Museum

La Scala is one of the most famous opera houses in the world and a place of pilgrimage for music lovers. The theatre was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini and opened on 3 August 1778 with Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. Its plain neoclassical facade on Piazza della Scala gives little hint of the auditorium inside, with its horseshoe of boxes in red velvet and gold rising to the high gallery, the loggione, where the most demanding opera fans sit.

The list of premieres here is remarkable: Bellini's Norma in 1831, Verdi's Otello in 1887 and Falstaff in 1893, Puccini's Madama Butterfly in 1904 and Turandot in 1926. The season traditionally opens on 7 December, the feast of Saint Ambrose, Milan's patron saint, with one of the most closely watched nights in the European cultural calendar. A renovation by the architect Mario Botta between 2002 and 2004 modernised the stage and backstage areas.

If you cannot get tickets for a performance, the La Scala Museum is the easiest way in. Its rooms hold portraits, costumes, set designs, instruments and memorabilia of singers, composers and conductors, from Verdi to Toscanini and Callas. When there are no rehearsals or stage work, visitors can look into the auditorium from one of the boxes, which for many is the highlight; the museum publishes guidance on when the hall is likely to be visible. Guided tours of the theatre are also offered on some dates.

Performance tickets sell quickly, especially for opera premieres and ballet, so book well ahead on the official site. Prices vary widely, from the upper galleries to the stalls. Smart dress is expected in the evening. Allow about an hour for the museum. Ballet and symphony concerts are also staged here, and these can be easier to book than the big opera nights, so they are worth considering if your dates are fixed.

The museum entrance is on the left side of the theatre, on Largo Ghiringhelli just off Piazza della Scala. The square faces the northern entrance of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the Duomo is five minutes away, and the elegant streets of the fashion district start just beyond. The nearest metro stops are Duomo on lines M1 and M3 and Montenapoleone on M3.