Thread: La Scala - last-minute tickets experience?

I apologize if this is a topic that already has been dealt with, I am new to the site and forum and could not find it anyway. If so, please direct me in the right way, thank you.

I am in November (2012) visiting Milan(o) for the first time, something I've been wanting to do for quite some time. A "must" for me is then to see a performance at La Scala. Unforunately I could not plan my trip around the La Scala "performance calendar" but rather had to book my plane tickets first, when I could get off work. My stay in Milan will be 15-18th of November. When checking La Scala's (excellent) website www.teatroallascala.org I find that Rigoletto in fact is being performed both Thu 15th and Sat 17th(!) - BUT... they are both fully booked...

I browsed around on their site for a while and then found something about last-minute "gallery" tickets being sold on the day if the performance - http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/bo...s-gallery.html
The text is quite long and detailed, so I understand the procedure. However, my question is...
DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE OF HAVING BOUGHT TICKETS THIS WAY AT LA SCALA?
Does it "work"? Is there normally a HUGE crowd trying to buy? Does one need to be there even before 1pm? Any other recommendations and/or tips on how to secure a ticket? Any other way of buying last-minute or cancelled tickets? Etc. etc...

I REALLY want to get hold of a ticket, so ANY input at all on how to make this possible (on the above dates) would be most greatfully received. Thank you so much in advance!

/joelba
Sweden

Hi and welcome joelba. I've got a ticket for the opening night of that production that I got online, just lucky that I started my ticket shopping the day the tickets were available for sale. I haven't done the last minute line-up. However I suggest revisiting the website often and keep checking the dates you are interested in. Occasionally one or two single tickets appear for sale but they disappear quickly. Not surprisingly, those that come available are in the higher price categories.

Bear in mind that many of the seats in the side boxes are notorious for having little or no view of the stage. You may have seen this description on their website:

"An opera house like La Scala, above all in the boxes, requests an "active" participation of the audience. This is especially well known by the habitués of the galleries, whom a great drawer from the past showed perpetually "hung" and leaning towards the stage. We therefore publish a significant sample of the views from the boxes on our website, so that everyone can know the dimension, the disposition and the spirit of a theatre built for the customs and habits of the late 18th century audience. To prepare oneself to an experience that is somehow also a travel in time."

I was in Milan last weekend to go to La Scala, you can read about it in my opera trip thread. The performance was on Friday and on the same day it was possible to buy tickets, even though on the website it said it was sold out. I talked to some people who were queing. The sales start at 13:00, but there was already a line at 10:00 someone told me. There were 100 places available. So be adviced and show up early !

The owner of the Anna Netrebko Blogspot wrote something on his site how he got tickets to this performance.

http://anna-netrebko.blogspot.nl/201...milano-19.html

On Friday there were some seats in the parterre empty becuase of people not showing up (they'd better have a pretty good reason!), after the break they were taken by a couple who came from a box. Pretty rude to do this, but there is no one checking after you get in, and of course they asked the people sitting next to them, who were OK with it.

In any case you should check the museum and get access to part of the theater which is totally worth it. I found that when I was in the theater during the museum visit it was very easy to talk to the Scala personnel who speak English very well and are very fiendly.

If you want too do a tour, don't go for the EUR 30 one they sell in the museum shop, it's not good. You ask one of the people around and they can hook you up for the real tour, but this is only possible when there is no rehearsal.

I guess the secret of getting a ticket is to go to Milan well before the perfomance and talk to the locals and the officials of La Scala, and hang around at La Scala as often as you can ! There are worse places to be... if you wallk down the street you pass the hotel where Verdi lived until he died. In the meantime you can enjoy the espresso bars !

Good luck !

Cavaradossi and Dongiovanni,

Thank you both for your thorough replies and recommendations! I have checked La Scala's website a few more times, unfortunately no tickets have been available though. Also unfortunate is the fact that I only arrive in Milan Thursday 15th, so I have no possibility to "hang around" at La Scala well in advance. I will of course go there as early as I can on Thursday and see if I can talk to someone to find out more about the possibilities of a last-minute ticket, I suppose that is the bect I can do.

If anyone else reading this has any recommendations, please feel free to share! Any and all info warmly welcomed!

/j

It seems you have time, you can hang around La Scala the 16th and 17th for the performance of the 17th. You should be able to get a gallery place. You have to get up early on the 17th to set up camp at the ticket office.

Hey joelba! Looks like there's one seat available online for Nov 15 right now. It's in the front row of the gallery, a decent seat in the back facing the stage, not along the sides. It's a fabulous production. Hope you can grab it!

Aaaargh! NOW I see this! Thank you Cavaradossi, but unfortunately I've had no internet connection for the last couple of weeks, or at least not thought of checking in here, I am still very new to the site... I wish I had, as I actually COULD have gone to the performance, had I seen this and jumped on the booking asap. Well, at least it goes to show that this site can be of great value indeed! Good to know for next time.
All my best,
j