What is La Scala?
[[File:Milano-scalanotte.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The ''Teatro alla Scala'' in [[Milan]], by night.]] The '''''Teatro alla Scala''''', usually known as '''La Scala''', is one of the most famous [[opera house]]s in the world. It is in [[Milan]], [[Italy]], which is the country where opera started at the beginning of the [[17th century]]. The theatre opened on 3 August 1778. At first it was called ''Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala''. The first opera to be performed there was [[Antonio Salieri|Salieri's]] ''Europa riconosciuta''.<ref>{{cite book| last = Branca| first = Vittorio| title = Il comune di Cerro Maggiore ai tempi della prima guerra mondiale: Avvenimenti, opere, personaggi dal 1914 al 1925| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Bg0QAQAAIAAJ| year = 1968| publisher = | isbn = }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Protonotari| first = Francesco| title = Nuova antologia| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TOBcAAAAMAAJ| year = 1982| publisher = Direzione della Nuova Antologia| isbn = }}</ref> == Building of the theatre == There had been a theatre there before, called Teatro Ducale, but it had been destroyed by fire in 1776. The new theatre was built where there had been a church called Santa Maria della Scala. This is how the theatre got its name. The theatre had more than 3,000 seats arranged in six tiers (six storeys) of boxes, and above that the two 'loggione' or galleries. It has a very large [[Stage (theatre)|stage]]. The money for the building was found by selling the 'palchi' (boxes) to wealthy [[noblemen]] and other rich people in Milan. In the 'platea' (the main floor) there were no seats and the audience there stood up to watch, like they do today in the [[Royal Albert Hall]] at the [[BBC Proms|Proms]]. The [[orchestra]] could be seen very well as they were not in an [[orchestra pit]] like they are today. Above the boxes, La Scala has always had a gallery where people who are not so rich can watch. This is still there today. It is called the ''loggione''. Some people in the loggione, known as