

La Fenice Theatre sits in Campo San Fantin, and is the largest opera house in the city. Opened in 1792, in the course of its history it hosted a number of important premiers: among them works by Bellini, Rossini and the Rigoletto and Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.
The theatre was designed by architect Giannantonio Selva in modern forms of neoclassical civil architecture. The theatre underwent various modifications over the years in order to update its forms to the rapid changes in taste and the progress of stage techniques. The famous and impressive central chandelier was added only in the nineteenth century. The theatre was damaged by two fires, the first in 1836 and the second in 1996. The last renovation was in 2003.