La Scala was built on the site of a former church, and the second theater was built on the site of the Scuole Cannobiane and was called Teatro alla Canobbiana. La Scala was intended for a special, mainly aristocratic audience, while the Canobbiana was open to the so-called general public.
Teatro alla Canobbiana, whose inauguration took place on 21st August 1779, was called Teatro Lirico from 1894. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it hosted numerous opera performances, including the world premieres of Dionizetti’s Love Drink and Giordano’s Fedora.
