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Hall description

The Teatro alla Scala is built according to the recurrent scheme of many Italian theatres of the late 18th century, with a horseshoe layout, several tiers of boxes and dressing rooms: the layout of the spaces also takes particular account of the functions for which they were intended.

The most interesting aspect of Piermarini's work lies in the extreme rationality of the design: from the sound of the hall, to the complex stage equipment, to the reception rooms, to services such as lighting, heating and toilets.

The construction took two years, but the present appearance was achieved with the decorations of 1830. In 1814, the rooms adjoining the theatre were enlarged and the stage was extended towards the stalls with a proscenium, between two pairs of Corinthian columns, to allow the artists to be more visible to the audience and to fully enjoy the acoustics of the hall.

The importance of the theatre is due to its acoustics. When Giuseppe Piermarini built the majestic plaster vault on wooden ribs supported by roof trusses, he created a gap between it and the actual roof of the theatre. By mathematically calculating the dimensions of this empty space, he reproduced a sort of box like that of musical instruments, in which the sound waves circulate perfectly.

The external façade is naturally in neoclassical style, therefore very severe and linear; from the central body, a terrace portico supported by large pillars overlooks the square, above which there is an attic floor, ending with a tympanum supported by twin columns and pilasters.