Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Teatro Colón
For its sheer size, near-perfect acoustics, and stately elegance, the Teatro
Colón ranks among the world's top opera houses. Yet for Porteños, the Neo-
Classical structure represents far more. “Rich as an Argentine” was a phrase
regularly heard on the streets of New York and Paris around the theater's
1908 completion, and to experience the Colón's grandeur is to visit that
bygone era. Tales of the theater's construction read like a Verdi libretto. The
theater now sees La Sala's
balcones
and
palcos
fill up every night, as they
have for more than 100 years.
Top 10 Features
1 Entrance Hall
2 El Salón de Bustos &
El Salón Dorado
3 Official Boxes
4 Vitreaux
5 La Sala
6 El Paraíso
7 Library
8 La Cúpula
9 Pasaje de los Carruajes
0 Workshops
Façade of Teatro Colón
Check ahead for
El Colón por Dos
Pesos concert
program, when
select seats are
available at an
absurd 2 pesos.
!
Entrance Hall
Neo-Romanesque
colonnades and a dazzling
Belle Époque stained-glass
dome distinguish the
Colón's entrance hall
(below)
Grab a cappuccino
and dessert at
El Petit Colón
confitería
(see p57)
.
. Four kinds of
European marble were
employed in the foyer's
construction, indicating how
highly prized Old World
materials and craftsmanship
were in the design.
• Map P5
• Cerrito, Viamonte 618
• 4378-7344
• Adm (varies)
• English-language
tours: 11am & 3pm
Mon-Fri; 9am, 11am,
3pm Sat; 11am, 1pm,
3pm Sun (reservations
for English-language
tours strongly
recommended);
tour US$4
• www.teatrocolon.org.ar
@
El Salón de Bustos
& El Salón Dorado
Busts of Wagner, Rossini,
and Beethoven keep watch
over theatergoers passing
in the entrance hall below.
The Golden Salon is
Versailles-worthy Baroque.
Chamber-music concerts
and special exhibitions are
held here.
#
Official Boxes
Reached via El Salón
de Bustos, these
palcos
are reserved for digni-
taries, the president, and
the municipal governor.
Most porteños say that
much politicking occurs
in these boxes, which are
accessible to the public
on guided tours.
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