Scala, La [Teatro alla Scala], one of the world's great opera houses, located in Milan, Italy. It opened in 1778 with a production of Antonio Salieri's Europa Riconosciuta. Built on the site of the Church of Santa Maria della Scala, the opera house was designed by Giuseppe Piermarini. The building was remodeled in 1867, modernized in 1921, restored in 1946 after having been bombed in World War II, and renovated in 2002–4. La Scala has been the scene of many famous opera premieres, among them Bellini's Norma, Verdi's Otello and Falstaff, and Puccini's Madame Butterfly and Turandot.
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