They are fed up, at the Scala in Milan, with tourists walking around in beach clothes and the like. They are going for the better-dressed visitors: no more shorts, no sandals on bare feet. Anyone who wants to enter like that will not get past the front facade of the opera house. Not only the Scala is becoming stricter, multiple opera houses are opting for stricter dress codes.
News agency Belga reports:
The Teatro alla Scala - as the opera house is officially called - has in recent years also admitted visitors who were recognizable at first glance as tourists. But now that is coming to an end. From now on, sandals, shorts and sleeveless T-shirts are no longer permitted. "The management asks the public to dress in a manner that is in accordance with the decorum of the theater and that respects the theater itself and the other members of the public."
Forget about access to the performance if you come in sandals because you won't get in and if you already bought a ticket it won't be refunded. Evening wear and ties are not required and a bare shoulder is also fine if it is a suitable blouse.
The world-famous opera house attracts countless tourists to Milan every year. Dominique Meyer, former director of the opera, simplified the regulations, targeting younger opera-goers. Oddly enough, that 'youth measure' attracted older people in looser clothing.