Teatro di San Carlo

Naples, Italy

The Real Teatro di San Carlo (Royal Theatre of Saint Charles) is located adjacent to the central Piazza del Plebiscito, and connected to the Royal Palace. It is the oldest continuously active venue for public opera in the world, opening in 1737, decades before both the Milan's La Scala and Venice's La Fenice theatres. The construction was ordered by Bourbon King Charles III of Naples. Given its size, structure and antiquity, it was the model for theatres that were later built in Europe.

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Founded: 1737
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Italy

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Alice Appleby (19 months ago)
Beautiful building, no doubt about it. Went to see Tosca which was also fantastic but my experience was ruined by being distracted by the locals in my box - despite 3 of the 5 others being over 60, all of them were taking photos and videos during the performance with bright screens and talking during the opera. There is an obvious problem with the policing of camera and phone use, which is something the theatre staff really need to sort out. We shouldn't have had to tell them to stop using their phones. Why do people dress up and pay to see a world class opera to be checking their WhatsApps?!
Hans Hulzebosch (21 months ago)
Beautiful theatre. Great music. Makes for a very enjoyable evening
Laura Moise (2 years ago)
The ballet "Swan Lake" that I've had the pleasure to watch here is a miracle. I recommend to everyone visiting Naples to watch this play. The white and black swans were the grace itself. I loved them. And the theatre is such an architectural wonder! The royal lodge and the small lodges are so elegant and covered in red cloth and golden foil.
Jav W. A. Van Der Woodsen (2 years ago)
Beautiful and historical opera house. Very well preserved and look forward to coming back for an opera.
Blair Tweten (2 years ago)
Beautiful theater. Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke perfect English
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