4 Best Sights in Italy

Palladio's last, perhaps most spectacular work was begun in 1580 and completed in 1585, after his death, by Vincenzo Scamozzi (1552–1616). Based closely on the model of ancient Roman theaters, it represents an important development in theater and stage design and is noteworthy for its acoustics and the cunning use of perspective in Scamozzi's permanent backdrop. The anterooms are frescoed with images of important figures in Venetian history. One of the few Renaissance theaters still standing, it can be visited (with guided tours) during the day and is used for concerts, operas, and other performances.

Construction of this formidable neoclassical theater, the largest in Italy, was started in 1875 by Giovanni Battista Basile and completed by his son Ernesto in 1897. A reconstruction project started in 1974 ran into severe delays, and the facility remained closed until just before its centenary, in 1997. Its interior is as glorious as ever, but the exterior remains more famous thanks to The Godfather Part III, which ended with a famous shooting scene on the theater's steps. Visits, by 40-minute guided tour only, are available in five languages, including English, while a tour of the current production's palconscenico (stage set) is also available daily at changing times (call to check).

Of Italy's opera houses, La Scala in Milan is the most famous, but San Carlo is perhaps the most beautiful, and Naples is, after all, the most operatic of cities. The neoclassical structure, designed by Antonio Niccolini, was built in a mere nine months after an 1816 fire destroyed the original. Many operas, including Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Rossini's La Donna del Lago, were composed for the house. Its nearly 200 boxes are arranged on six levels, and its 12,000-square-foot stage permits large-scale productions.

If you’re not attending an opera, you can still experience the splendid theater on a 30-minute guided tour and a visit to Memus (Museo Memoria e Musica). The theatrically lit museum and archive have props, costumes, stage sets, multimedia displays, and documents galore.

This still-working theater from the 19th century offers guided tours of its small, ornate interior, although litigation has suspended tours as of this writing. Check ahead as it often presents programs of classic and contemporary theater in Italian, and music concerts. It was named for silent film actress Tina Di Lorenzo.