Fodor's Expert Review Teatro dell'Opera di Roma

Designed by Milanese architect Achille Sfondrini, Rome's opera house dates back to 1880 and is still world famous for its extraordinary acoustics. Not even these famed halls could have saved Maria Callas's 1958 performance of Norma, where she infamously walked out on the President of Italy due to health reasons. Today, the theater seats 1,600 in glamorous tiered boxes under a frescoed ceiling. It's an excellent venue to see opera in its original language or a contemporary ballet performance.