Where the fat lady sings

La Scala opera house in Milan

Milan's premier opera house—full name: Teatro alla Scala—is where Toscanaini twirled his baton and Giuseppe Verdi was once the in-house composer. Closed frequently (and repeatedly) over the past decade for one restoration after another, it seems to be open for good as of December 2005 (if you ask me, they only kept closing it so they could keep staging Grand Reopenings every few years).

You can get same-day tickets, often at a discount, either at the ticket office in the underground tunnels of the Duomo metro stop, or by lining up under the colonnade runing down the left (south) flank of the theater—that's how I got into the Barber of Seville a few years ago for just €10 (waaay up in the rafters, though; had to follow the action either on the flatscreens or by standing up).

www.teatroallascala.org