Visiting Venice’s Teatro La Fenice
About the Teatro la Fenice
The Teatro La Fenice is the world-famous opera house located in Venice and is one of Venice’s most well-known sights. Its name, meaning “the Phoenix,” reflects the opera house “rising from the ashes.” After a fire destroyed Venice’s Teatro San Benedetto Theater in 1774, a group of wealthy opera lovers wanted to build a new opera house. They hoped that this opera house would be more spectacular than the Teatro San Benedetto.
La Fenice opened in 1792 to a performance I giuochi d’Agrigento by Giovanni Paisiello. There would be a second fire in December of 1836. La Fenice was once again rebuilt and reopened in December of 1837. In 1996, the opera house was almost completely destroyed by fire. The only surviving part of the structure were the exterior walls. Once again, the theater was rebuilt. This rebuild took much longer, with the current building opening in 2003. Two electricians that were working on La Fenice served prison time for the arson.
Throughout its history, the Teatro La Fenice has seen the works of many famous composers, including Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi.
During my visit to Venice in the Spring of 2019, I had the opportunity to visit the famous Teatro La Fenice. After taking a picture from the outside, I entered and inquired about taking a tour.
Teatro La Fenice - Table of Contents
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Taking a Tour of Teatro la Fenice
As I attempted to purchase my tour, the cashier informed me that they were preparing to perform Othello this evening and that the tour would be limited, as the grand ballroom would not be available for touring. Also, the stage would be set, and the lights may be on or off, depending on the rehearsal schedule.
A ticket to tour the opera house was €20 and included an audio guide that was available in English. The first stop on the tour was the Foyer. The Foyer is where the guests congregate before and after the opera, as well as during the intermissions. The walls of the Foyer were one of only parts of the theater to survive the 1996 arson fire.
If you’d like to purchase a ticket to tour La Fenice, you can do so by clicking on the link below. As an affiliate of Viator, I receive a small commission if you purchase using my link. That commission is at no additional cost to you.
Teatro La Fenice Tour in Venice - $28.26
from: Viator
Following the Foyer, the next stop was the hallway that connects to the various boxes. The only box that was open for viewing was the Royal Box which, is the most famous and prestigious of all of the boxes. The Royal Box has the best view as it is center stage and features its own private entrance.
All of the interiors of the opera house was rebuilt following the arson fire of 1996. When it was restored, it was modeled after the image of the previous buildings using pictures and movies of the previous opera house.
The night of my tour, the opera Othello was playing in the Teatro La Fenice. I thought it was fun to get to see the stage set and the lighting cues being tested throughout my visit. Due to the opera rehearsal, I was unable to see the Grand Ballroom, but I thought it was an even trade-off to get to see the theater stage set up.
On my way out, I walked by a series of opera posters from famous operas that had played at La Fenice. I came across this poster from the opera Turandot.
I took a picture of this poster, as when I was a child, my parents took me to see this opera at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
I thought that the tour of La Venice was well worth the €20 as the opera house is different from many of the traditional Venice sights.
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