The Teatro Grande is Brescia's main opera house, a handsome 18th-century building whose origins go back to 1664. The current interior — in blue and gold, with four tiers of private boxes — dates largely from a 1810 renovation that gave it its present neoclassical character. It is considered one of the most beautiful historic theatres in northern Italy, with acoustics that draw serious opera companies.
The theatre runs a full season of opera, ballet, and classical concerts from autumn through spring. The building itself can sometimes be visited by guided tour outside performance dates; check the current schedule at the box office on Corso Zanardelli. If you are in Brescia between October and April, an evening at the Teatro Grande is the best thing you can do.