Founded in 1737, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples is one of the oldest active opera houses in the world. It predates Milan’s Teatro alla Scala by 41 years and Venice’s Teatro La Fenice by 55 years. With its horseshoe-shaped auditorium, large stalls (22×28×23 m), five tiers of stages, and a royal box, it became an architectural model for many European theatres.
Commissioned by King Charles III of Naples (1716–1788), the theatre was designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano (1703–1760) and Angelo Carasale (d. 1742). It was inaugurated on 4 November 1737, with ‘Achille in Sciro’, composed by Domenico Sarro (1679–1744) and featuring a libretto by Pietro Metastasio (1698–1782). The opera was initially well-received but later fell into obscurity due to evolving musical tastes.
The theatre became a central venue for opera seria, showcasing works by composers of the Neapolitan school, including Leonardo Leo (1694–1744), Niccolò Porpora (1686–1768), Leonardo Vinci (1690–1730), Johann Adolf Hasse (1699–1783), Gaetano Latilla (1711–1788), Niccolò Jommelli (1714–1774), Baldassarre Galuppi (1706–1785), Niccolò Piccinni (1728–1800), Antonio Sacchini (1730–1786), Tommaso Traetta (1727–1779), Giacomo Tritto (1733–1824), Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816), and Domenico Cimarosa (1749–1801).
San Carlo also attracted many international composers. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787) premiered ‘Clemenza di Tito’ in 1752. Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) presented ‘Catone in Utica’ in 1761 and ‘Alessandro nell’Indie’ in 1762. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) visited Naples in 1770, attending Niccolò Jommelli’s ‘L’Armida abbandonata’.
Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the San Carlo remains a symbol of Naples’ cultural significance and an enduring influence on European opera.