San Carlo Theatre — Attraction in Naples

It's beautiful. Built originally in 1737, burned down in 1816 and rebuilt within 10 months, it is the world's oldest continually operating opera house. Famed for perfect acoustics, and declared the best in the world according to acclaimed director Riccardo Muti. I took the tour for 7 Euro, and we viewed part of the technical rehearsal for an upcoming opera from the king's box (seats 24 and is opposite the stage). Our guide said from 120 Euro up to 400 Euro one can sit in the king's box depending on the show. Then the tour ventured down to the main floor from which we could view the entirety of the 6 floor facade and ceiling tapestry. The theater seats 1,386, and the first four levels of booths on the sides all have mirrors mounted on the wall so occupants could see when the king had arrived. They could also use the mirrors to see whether the king was applauding the number for it was forbidden to applaud unless the king did so. There is a nice cafe under the theater and there are two pictures of note mounted on the wall behind the counter you should view. One is of the wooden floor being laid and the other is of the workers mounting the ceiling tapestry.

I attended two classical music concerts at the San Carlo Theater while in town. For the first I was on the fourth level opposite the stage, in a second row seat in a booth for 32 Euro. The mother-daughter sharing seats in front of me were subscribers and mom was kind enough to scoot up against the wall so I had a great view. For the second concert, I turned down a seat in the center on the main floor for 45 Euro and instead took a "pigeon seat" on the sixth (top floor) side for 30 Euro just to try it out. If you at all have vertigo, DO NOT sit up there! My viewing angle down to the stage, and I was on the side, was about 80+ degrees. You have to have complete trust in the wall in front of you to hold because you will be leaning on it heavily. But I did not contemplate how this seat on the side, and opposite the other seats on the side, would subject me to audience distractions. Multiple inconsiderate folks, seemingly all on the fifth level, had out their smartphones with the flash active to take pictures and video of the performance, despite the flash being useless for a distance of over 5 meters. The performers were 20 meters+ away. So, these annoying bright white smartphone lights kept going on and off even though theater signage stated their use was strictly forbidden. Invariably, two minutes after the infraction an usher would show up at the offenders' booth (they had the correct offender right every time) and warn the booth occupants not to do what they did. But it kept going on and on... About the climax was the guy who not just filmed with his flash on, zooming in and out and then holding his phone out into the theater, over the front wall of his booth, to execute a slow panoramic video recording of the entire theater all the while with his bright white flash light on (took about 45 seconds or so). One wonders what the king would feel about such behavior in his theater were he there to witness it??? Would he declare smartphones a menace and short Apple's stock in retribution?

This all takes me to my thought when I first saw the no filming or photography signage in the lobby upon arrival: why doesn't the San Carlo Theater, it's performers, etc., embrace the viral era and allow one number per performance in which recording/broadcasting is encouraged by attendees? This would showcase the wonderful venue, music, it's performers and the like to the world. I think it's an idea which should be embraced and I regret I did not have the opportunity at the...

San Carlo is certainly the most beautiful theater all over the world. The oldest one as well. Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti - if these names mean something for you you should definitely visit this magic and unforgettable place. Unfortunately, there were no performances during our stay in Napoli however we decided to take a guided tour to feel the inner atmosphere of San Carlo at least and this was the best solution. We bought an Italian language tour and it was really amazing. It lasted about 45 min and during this trip we visited the main hall, boxes and foyers but also the royal box which was incredibly beautiful. Moreover, we were lucky to see a piece of rehearsal sitting inside the Royal box which gave us fantastic impressions. And I would like to thank our dearest guide for her emotional and bright story about San Carlo full of interesting details and hidden secrets. The ticket costs 9 euro and you can book it in advance on the official website of the theater. Basic languages are Italian and English. Other languages are available upon request. Hope next time we will be lucky to visit the full performance in San...

The Royal Theater of San Carlo, the oldest opera house in Europe. The Teatro di San Carlo in Naples was built in 1737 at the behest of King Charles III of Bourbon, and was inaugurated 41 years before the Scala in Milan and 55 years before the Fenice in Venice, which is why today it represents the oldest theater in operates in Europe and among the most capacious in Italy. King Charles III wanted to enhance the city with a theater that concretely represented royal power and entrusted the project to the architect Giovanni Antonio Medrano, a Spanish Brigadier Colonel stationed in Naples, and to Angelo Carasale, former director of the San Bartolomeo. The theater was built in just eight months , at a total cost of 75 thousand ducats. The Massimo Partenopeo is located in the heart of the city of Naples , surrounded by the main monuments and places of greatest tourist attraction: between Piazza del Plebiscito, Piazza Trieste e Trento, Via Toledo, the Royal Palace, the Galleria Umberto and the Maschio Angioino. The San Carlo Theater is today included by UNESCO among the monuments considered a World...