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We booked tickets for April, and the show was cancelled due to the virus. I filled the refund form. After a while I sent emails which were all ignored (both by Vivaticket and the theatre). They finally answered my 6th email (after phone calls) and flat out refused to give a refund. They wrote the email using capital letters and in a way that I truly questioned someone with this attitude can work for a cultural establishment in any position (no signature of course). Historic place or not, this service is abysmal and at this point I dare say they are simply stealing money from people without doing any sort of service. I had many refund issues with hotels, airlines and other theatres and all were resolved in a civilized way except for this one. Even the voucher is not issued until now. …
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Date of experience: April 2020
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During my journey in Naples I was curious about this that I was sure was a theate, with great surprise I dicovered that is the first (older) opera hous in Europe, build during the Kingdom that still now, is very important and stunning in its decoration.
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Date of experience: June 2020
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Built in 1737, Teatro di San Carlo is the oldest working theatre in Europe, and one of the most prestigious. Destroyed by fire in 1816, it was redesigned and rebuilt within 10 months by order of King Ferdinand IV. By 1854, another refurbishment changed the theatre’s interior to the magnificent gold baroque trim, red velvet curtains and seats, and spectacular ceiling paintings that we see today—by guided tour only. Be sure to check with the box office early in the day to get tickets for an English tour, which lasts 45 minutes, and is very much worth it. Our guide was amazing. She, not only gave us the history of the theatre itself, but also described the theatre experience of the time, which was similar to that of Shakespeare’s Globe. All of the boxes were purchased by wealthy citizens, so each family had its own box to do with as they pleased. They could invite friends and relatives to join them. The boxes were treated like their own personal residences so they could eat, drink, play chess, and even fornicate (Casanova was a box owner). The family also brought their servants who stood outside the box, so the halls were crowded and many patrons complained about the smell, since servants weren’t always so clean. The ground level was occupied by the lower classes and the front (orchestra area) was reserved for the military so they could help keep order—and so they could see the dancers’ legs! All of the “groundlings” had to provide their own benches; they could rent them from vendors outside the theatre or bring in benches they owned. It was a chaotic social atmosphere. The performance was secondary. People went to the theatre to be seen. Each box had a mirror that reflected the king’s box, so regardless of what the occupants were doing, they could see the king when he arrived and stand to greet him. To make more money, gambling rooms were created for patrons in 1778. It was not until Verdi (1840’s) and Wagner (1880’s) that the performance became the focus, and patrons actually began to attend the opera to listen to the music and watch the opera. This was truly a spectacular theatre and the most interesting tour we have had of one!…
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Date of experience: May 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Came for the tour only. Shown round by a lovely tour guide inc the low boxes and stalls, not the top areas though. Great history about the royalty link. Fantastic and beautiful.
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Davor R wrote a review Jan 2020
Capelle aan den IJssel, The Netherlands726 contributions243 helpful votes
When travelling, and being classical music lovers, my wife and I try to visit the local opera or concert halls, so Naples was not an exception. We actually targeted it for visiting Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest opera theatre in Europe. You need to walk about forty minutes from the old city centre, but the Municipio underground is close. Since Naples has Uber, getting there should not be a problem. Purchasing tickets on the internet was not a problem, there is an Italian version. The performance was a premiere with Mahler’s “Das Lied Von Der Erde”, not the jolliest piece for a Saturday evening, but that was that during our stay there. As to seating, do not choose seats close to the podium. They are too low. You will be able to look closely at the wooden ornaments, though (see photo). And finally, the interior is really impressive. Take time to enter a bit earlier to walk and look around, especially from the floor up.…
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Date of experience: October 2019
2 Helpful votes
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