Teatro alla Scala

The loggione, where the regulars have been judging tenors since 1778

Built in 1778 on the site of a church, bombed in 1943, rebuilt by 1946 and reopened with a concert under Toscanini that the city treated as the end of the war. Verdi and Puccini premiered here, the acoustics are excellent and the house has a reputation for terrifying singers that is entirely earned.

The reason is the loggione, the two upper galleries where the cheap seats are. Their occupants know the repertoire in detail, have opinions about every recording since 1950 and will boo an underprepared performance without hesitation. It is the last place in western culture where an audience openly judges in real time.