Italian opera houses post record revenues in 2025 amid reform fears

Italy's 14 lyric foundations, including Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Regio di Torino, La Fenice di Venezia, Carlo Felice di Genova, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and San Carlo di Napoli, generated €110.4 million from 2.13 million spectators across 2,880 performances in 2024, according to Siae data. In 2025, Teatro alla Scala alone earned €40 million—a 7.3% increase from 2024—plus €3.4 million from its museum, driven by a mix of classic and contemporary works such as Francesco Filidei's "Il nome della rosa" and Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" (which opened the 2025-26 season). Superintendent and artistic director Fortunato Ortombina credits artistic programming and promotional ties with the city and local businesses. Individual theaters saw sharp gains: Teatro Massimo di Palermo +22%, Carlo Felice di Genova +21%, Opera di Roma +18.9%. The sector's health is threatened by a draft of the new Codice dello Spettacolo, expected to become law by December 31, 2026, which would centralize management, rename foundations "Gran Teatri d'Opera," reduce the mayor's and superintendent's roles, introduce a marketing director and an under-35 collaborator, and steer programming toward "great works of tradition," potentially stifling the innovation that fueled recent success.