Teatro di San Carlo

The Teatro di San Carlo stands on Via San Carlo in the Toledo area of Naples, Campania, beside the Palazzo Reale and the Galleria Umberto I. It was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon and opened on 4 November 1737, the king's name day, which makes it the oldest continuously active opera house in Europe, predating La Scala in Milan by four decades. The original auditorium by Giovanni Antonio Medrano and Angelo Carasale was destroyed by fire in February 1816. King Ferdinand I ordered its reconstruction, and the architect Antonio Niccolini rebuilt it within months, reopening it in January 1817. The interior that visitors see today follows that design, with six tiers of boxes in gold, blue and red, a large royal box facing the stage, and a ceiling painted with Apollo presenting poets to Minerva. The neoclassical facade and the adjoining foyer were also redesigned by Niccolini. The theatre's repertory includes works by Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi, several of whom wrote for Naples, and in the 19th century it was a leading venue for Italian opera. Restoration campaigns have refreshed the gilding, textiles and stage machinery, and the auditorium has been modernised for performance while keeping its historic form. Daytime guided visits are usually offered at set times and take visitors through the foyer, boxes and, depending on the schedule, the stage area. The museum of the theatre, MeMus, holds costumes, scores and documents relating to the opera house's history. Seeing the auditorium is the main interest, since it preserves the plan of an Italian horseshoe-shaped court theatre of the early 19th century.