Teatro La Fenice is one of the great opera houses of the world, with a history intimately tied to Italian musical culture. Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata both premiered here in the 1850s, and the house has been associated with major composers from Rossini to Britten. The current interior, meticulously reconstructed after the 1996 fire, is a riot of red velvet, gilded stucco, and elaborate stage machinery.
The theatre is hidden in a dense block of the San Marco sestiere, reachable only on foot through a sequence of small alleys, which adds to the sense of occasion when you arrive. Guided daytime tours allow visitors into the auditorium when no performance is scheduled — well worth doing if tickets for an evening performance are not available. The opera season runs October through June. Book tickets early.