Teatro La Fenice

Famous theatre with a fiery past
Word to the wise: Surprisingly, the theatre bar sells one of the cheapest spritzes in town at EUR 5.

Talk of the town: Actress Salma Hayek married billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault here in 2009.
La Fenice (the phoenix) has literally risen from the ashes. Built in 1792, it burnt to the ground in 1836. It was rebuilt in under a year and quickly established itself as one of the world's leading stages for opera, classical concerts and festivals, premiering works such as Verdi's 'Rigoletto' and 'La Traviata', and Britten's 'The Turn of The Screw'.

Tragedy struck again in 1996, when two centuries of Venetian culture were destroyed in an arson attack. But true to its name it rose once more and, in December 2003, an exact replica of the original baroque building was re-opened amid much celebration.

Shows can be expensive (only buy tickets from the box office or HelloVenezia outlets) but if they're beyond your budget, you can opt for one of the guided tours instead that take you behind the scenes of this magnificent building.