The Nutcracker On Ice

The Teatro degli Arcimboldi is a theatre and opera house in Milan which was built over a twenty-seven month period in anticipation of the closure and subsequent nearly three-year long renovation of Milan's La Scala opera house in December 2001. It is located 4.5 miles from the city centre in an abandoned Pirelli tire factory, in an area known as Bicocca.[1]

Designed by Vittorio Gregotti working with architects Mario Botta and Elisabetta Fabbri, the fan-shaped 2,375 seat auditorium, created on two levels, was planned to allow for the continuation of La Scala's 2001/2002 opera season and it was inaugurated with a performance of Verdi's La traviata on 19 January 2002.

An unfortunate accident closed the theatre for seventeen days in February 2001, but it reopened and became the La Scala company's venue until the renovated opera house reopened on its traditional day, 7 December, in 2004.

Performances of many different types of music are still given at the Arcimboldi.