Colón Theater

Standing right in front of you is Argentina’s crown jewel theater, the Teatro Colón! It’s easily one of the top 5 most beautiful opera houses on the planet, rubbing shoulders with the La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Semperoper in Dresden and the Paris Opera. This imposing 8,200-square-meter edifice is a head-turner! It impresses with its eclectic style, sporting Italian Renaissance, French Baroque, and even some Art Nouveau elements – a wild mix, I know, but it makes perfect sense once you know the story of its construction. The first opera to be staged in Buenos Aires was Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”, performed at the Colosseum Theatre way back in 1825. Yet the idea of a world-class theater came much later. It was all thanks to Intendant Torcuato de Alvear, who launched a major architectural competition to design one in 1886. The project was entrusted to an Italian architect very much inspired by the neo-Baroque style of the Paris Opera. But guess what? He died just a year into the project! So they brought in another Italian architect who threw them a curveball and redesigned the theater in the Italian Neo-Renaissance style. But here’s the thing – buckle up, this gets interesting! In 1904, while the construction of the Opera was in full swing, the architect was murdered by his butler! The project was then handed over to a Belgian architect. Any idea what architectural style was in vogue in Belgium back in the early 1900s? You guessed it – Art Nouveau, with architect Victor Pierre Horta at the helm, who never ceased to grace Brussels with his stunning creations. So the new architect threw in some of that too for good measure. And that’s how this incredible opera house, with its beautiful Art Nouveau interior, came to be. It opened its doors in 1908, staging Verdi’s “Aida”, a tragic opera in four acts. And just like that, it instantly became the most prestigious theater in all of South America. To this day, it remains a popular venue for audiences and performers alike. They fully renovated it in 2006, restoring it to its former glory, and it’s sure to impress! You can take a guided tour during the day or attend an evening performance in its splendid horseshoe-shaped hall with perfect acoustics. As is customary in French and Italian architectural tradition, the theater has an upper balcony, known as “paradise” or “the gods”. This 7th floor is reserved for the less fortunate, who can come and see any performance at a lower cost; you see, it’s more affordable due to its distance from the stage. It’s thus perfect for those who want to catch a show without breaking the bank.