italy | milan | teatro alla scala

going to the theater in italy can be so much fun.  everyone always dresses up, making any event more spectacular.

my husband, bob, and i were excited to finally attend a performance at teatro alla scala during our recent holiday in milan.

first, we walked the short distance from the grand hotel et de milan to the bulgari hotel.  il giardino, the alfresco lounge at the bulgari hotel, is one of the chicest places in milan for an aperitivo.  what better way to start the evening?  surrounded by fashionable people, eating delicious food, in a stylish setting.

il giardino | bulgari hotel | milan, italy

photo credit hotels.com
of course, i immediately recognized the dedon furniture.

dedon lounge furniture | designed by frank ligthart

dedon lighting by flos | designed by philippe stark

photo credits dedon and dedon
in milan, it is traditional to start the evening by having an aperitivo.  an aperitivo is a pre-dinner cocktail, usually served between six and eight pm, often accompanied by complimentary appetizers.  the complimentary appetizers prepared by bulgari hotel chef andrea ferrero included crudities and bocconcini (mozzarella) to dip in balsamic vinegar,  foccacia brushed with roasted tomatoes, vongole (clams) topped with tapenade, gazpacho, baccala (salt cod) gnocchi, olives, and marcona almonds.  three glasses of wine, including all of the appetizers, cost 45 euros.  molto bene!
il giardino|aperitivo|yelp

 chef andrea ferrero

aperitivos at il giardino

photo credits fashion week daily and yelp.it

afterwards, we walked the short distance from the bulgari hotel to teatro alla scala.

teatro alla scala | designed by giuseppe piermarini | 1776-1778

photo credit easyart.com

the 18th century neoclassical theater was restored and restructured by architect mario botta from 2002-2004.  so, it was closed for renovation the entire time that bob and i lived in london.  the 61 million euro renovation project included conservative restoration of the 18th century building, enlarging the stage, orchestra pit, and backstage, as well as constructing a new service building.

teatro alla scala | restored and restructured by mario botta | 2002-2004

18th century building | rectangular stage tower | elliptical service building

photo credit mario botta

architectural model of teatro alla scala | restored and restructured by mario botta | 2002-2004

click here or here for a virtual tour of the renovated theater

photo credit mario botta

even though we’re not really opera or ballet afficianados, we really enjoyed attending a performance of the ballet, onegin, in this magnificent setting.

onegin | teatro alla scala | 11 september 2012

photo credit lisa walsh | innerspace

onegin act I

lenskij and ol’ga

onegin act I

the corps de ballet

onegin act III

tat’jana and il principe gremin

onegin act III

onegin and tat’jana

photo credits marco breschia and rudy amisano

but to us, the setting and the experience seemed as theatrical as the performance!

teatro alla scala | the royal box

photo credit lisa walsh | innerspace

teatro alla scala: the illustrated history by carlo lanfossi

to be published by rizzoli on 13 november 2012

photo credit rizzoli
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