La Scala Opera Tickets
 

We’ll be in Milan in May of 2017 for 3 or 4 nights. We want to get 2 tickets to Don Giovanni at La Scala on May 9th. Is it best to get tickets directly from the La Scala box office or to do a package deal with a hotel? Are there better options for ticket packages, for example a package deal from a travel company? When should we get the tickets? We’ve read that some seats are very uncomfortable. How do we avoid those?

BEFORE you do ANYTHING, look at the website: http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/index.html#

I usually use it to get tickets.

This does not mean you cannot get them through a hotel concierge or through another agency. I am simply offering the possibility which has always worked <B>for me</B>. Only you can decide what is the best approach.

I have no idea about supposed "uncomfortable" seats as I have yet to have ever been in one. Do they exist? I guess they must. Look at the website and see what it says about ticket advance availability as well as seat views.

Generally you get what you pay for, to avoid uncomfortable seats, don't buy the cheapest seats. From Italylogue:

<<As noted earlier, tickets to a performance at La Scala don’t usually come cheap – although there is a “gallery” section above all the luxury theatre boxes called the “loggione.” This is traditionally where the less-wealthy would sit in a sort of general admission area, but it’s not the only area where you’ll find cheaper seats these days. Unfortunately, the traditional design of opera houses like La Scala doesn’t make an effort to give every ticket-holder a comfortable seat, a good view, or even a decent spot to hear what’s going on – so although you’ll find some less expensive seats even in some of the boxes, it’s not safe to assume you’re getting a steal of a deal.
Each theatre box at La Scala has 4-6 seats and stools in it, but generally speaking it’s only the front two which have a view of the stage (and even some of the front seats in boxes next to the stage don’t really have a good view). Seats from which you can’t see aren’t apologized for, however – they’re considered “listening” seats, where you’re going to hear the show but not really see it.>>

Select Italy also has detailed descriptions of the seating issues
<<La Scala has crammed as many seats as possible into a small space. There are three seats in the space that an American theater would only have two, or maybe even just one and a half! You have to hope those seated next to you are tiny, otherwise they might spill into your seat.” The first row of the gallery has a metal safety bar that runs directly in your line of site. This means that you will have to bob your head up and down to follow the singers around the stage, or, alternatively, rest your chin on the balustrade and your forehead on the metal bar. Since there are no supertitles above the stage (they are balustrade wall in front of you), this means that you won’t be able to read a translation of the lyrics. Once you move into the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rows, you must keep in mind that, while inexpensive, they will have little to no view of the stage. These seats should be considered as “listening only” for all intents and purposes.>>

Since Christina is doing her usual ignore everybody who has actually been somewhere routine I'll repeat my recommendation:

Look at the website and see what it says about ticket advance availability as well as seat views.

Having reviewed the website, it appears that tickets for the performance we want in May will go on sale in early March. Dukey, do you recall approximately where you sat? We haven’t booked our accommodations yet, so we may explore hotels that might have a package which includes tickets, but find out which seats are included. Anyone know of hotels that might have a package—lodging and tickets? Thanks.

We got two of the last available tickets at La Scala some years ago. They were in a four seat box... the first to the right of the stage. We got the first two seats in front. The two people behind us couldn't see. One left and the other... a lovely older Italian man... squeezed in with us.
He had worked in NYC so we had an enjoyable conversation despite the circumstances. My advice would be to stay away from boxes. And it's not just La Scala. We were once treated to the center box at the Metropolitan Opera... and it had the same issues... uncomfortable seats and bad sight lines for those in the back

Gwendolynn. I will gladly take your advice. The boxes seem to have a lot of issues with sight lines, seats with no backs, etc. We've just begun to look into how to do this, and there is plenty of time to sort it all out. But it's good to hear what others have done, what works, what doesn't. You were lucky with your two tickets! Thanks.

You may have found this already but here is a link to our adventures buying La Scala tickets in 2012. I'm not sure if the process is still the same but we had a great time buying them and we really enjoyed the show. Good luck!!!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-for-tosca.cfm

I do remember reading your thread, and just re-read it now. That's a good workable plan. The tickets we'll want go on sale in March so I'll check for the first performance date carefully, do some dry runs, and wish for miracles! A few years ago we went to an opera at the Arena in Verona, and I can't remember the process being this precise, but it was a totally different venue. Thanks for posting the link.

Success! This morning just after the on-line tickets came available, we booked our La Scala tickets for the May 9 performance of Don Giovanni! As john183 said, running through the process several times in previous days was key. Though it seemed confusing and complicated at first, with a little practice it worked fine. Our seats are on the main floor, and at 6:06 am (EST) we felt very lucky to have gotten them. When we checked back about an hour later, all of the good seats were gone, and hardly any were left at all.

We also booked our Last Supper tickets for the same day, but may have booked the tour in Italian. The website seemed to switch to Italian half way through, but we’re not going to worry. We’re happy we got them.

Thanks to all who offered advice.

Your main floor seats should be fine. You'll undoubtedly enjoy the performance. What's not to like?

Dukey1
We are so looking forward to this! And you are correct--what's not to like!

Congratulations kathleen!!! It feels like quite an accomplishment when you finally get good tickets to show up and finish the payment process doesn't it? It's just crazy how fast the tickets sell out. And I agree with you and Dukey1 - what's not to like!

On the Scala web site, you can see what the view of the stage is from any seat.

We have a friend who lives in Milan, and rarely misses an opera. She always gets the first row center of the gallery, and has never mentioned the visual problems Cristina mentions. She says this seating is right above the royal box, so it's about the best in the house. The problem is that the gallery sells out very quickly. That's where the real opera lovers sit, so that they can afford to visit the opera frequently. She gets to the ticket line at the crack of dawn to get her tickets.

John183, Your method was invaluable! Thank you again for posting the link. It works.
bvlenci, Those seats on the first level, just above the main floor seats, in the central location did look good, but price wise they were the same as the main floor seats. That is if those are the ones you're referring to. And if she attends frequently, she must have an impressive opera budget! Good for her. We did pull up the panoramic view for each seat we were considering. We did all that in our preliminary runs, so we knew which ones to try first in the actual purchasing run.