Visit La Scala Museum - Peek Inside the Theatre

Getting tickets to a show at La Scala is difficult and expensive. But there is a hack. You can visit the La Scala Museum (Museo Teatrale alla Scala) during the day.

The Secret View

The best part of the museum ticket (€12 approx) is not the museum itself. It is the access to the boxes. The museum has a designated box on the third tier. You step through the velvet curtains and suddenly you are looking down into the Golden Horseshoe.

• The View: You see the royal box, the stage machinery, and the vast auditorium.
• Warning: If there is a rehearsal in progress, the lights might be dim, or they might restrict access. Check the schedule at the entrance!

What's in the Museum?

It is a treasure chest for music lovers.

• Instruments: Liszt’s Steinway piano, ancient harps, and Verdi's spinet.
• Costumes: The heavy, jeweled gowns worn by Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi.
• Death Masks: Plaster casts of the faces of great composers. (A bit creepy, but historical).

The Foyer

You also get to walk through the Foyer (Ridotto). With its mirrors and chandeliers, this is where the elite mingled during intermissions. It is a quiet, reverent place that contrasts with the noise of the city outside.