Built in 1790 in the Classical style by Giannantonio Selva, the Teatro "La Fenice" was built as a private theatre for plays and opera.
During the 19th Century its name was linked to many of the great Italian composers: several operas premiered here, including Rossini’s Tancredi (1813) and Semiramide (1823) plus Verdi’s Rigoletto (1851) and La Traviata (1853).

During the Austrian occupation, red, white and green flowers (the colours of the new Italian flag) were thrown onto the stage to the cry of "Viva Verdi": the letters of the composer’s surname were used as an acronym and a pretext to praise Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, Re d'Italia. The city of Venice immediately welcomed the call for Italian independence against Austria.

The theatre was once again destroyed by fire in January 1996 (this had already happened in 1836). Thanks to generous donations from around the world and efforts made by the Venetians, "La Fenice" has again arisen from the flames, like its namesake, the mythological phoenix bird, that is always reborn from its ashes.

1600 - 1700 - S. MARCO - rev. 0.1.6