Teatro La Fenice

Teatro La Fenice rises in Venice as an opera house beside a small plaza and a canal. Its neoclassical façade presents a colonnade, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and masks of Comedy and Tragedy.

Giannantonio Selva designed the building after the Nobile Società di Palchettisti sought a new theatre. Construction began in 1791, and the auditorium opened eighteen months later with a horseshoe plan and tiers of boxes. Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi brought major premieres here, including Ernani, Rigoletto, La traviata, and Simon Boccanegra. Fires reshaped the theatre twice, while architects Giambattista and Tommaso Meduna restored it after the first destruction. Aldo Rossi later led reconstruction after the 1996 arson, preserving the historic appearance alongside modern stage equipment.

The façade alone survived both major fires, while the foyer and Sale Apollinee also escaped the first blaze. A phoenix emblem carved in 1837 sits at the centre, linking the theatre’s architecture with its repeated return. Today, opera, classical music, festivals, concerts, and cultural events continue inside the rebuilt Venetian landmark.