FACTBOX: Italy's home of opera, La Scala

(Reuters) - Milan's La Scala opera house, whose history is intertwined with Italy's, launches its 2007-2008 season with Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" with Daniel Barenboim picking up the baton as main guest conductor.

Below are facts about one of the most famous opera houses.

* Teatro alla Scala was founded under the auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to replace the Royal Ducal Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in February 1776.

* Designed by neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, La Scala opened on August 3, 1778 with Antonio Salieri's opera "Europa Riconosciuta". The same opera was performed when the house re-opened after its three-year closure ended in 2004.

* In 1839, La Scala staged "Oberto Conte di San Bonifacio", its first opera by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), whose name is linked more than any other to the history of La Scala. In 1842, "Nabucco" was held, the first real triumph of Verdi's career.

* In 1926, Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957), one of the most celebrated conductors of all time, conducted the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot", considered one of the last great Italian operas to be written.

* In 1943, during World War Two, a bomb crashed through the roof of the auditorium. La Scala reopened three years later, with a historic concert conducted by Toscanini.

* In 1986, Riccardo Muti was named musical director. He reintroduced some of Verdi's best-loved works like "Rigoletto" and "La Traviata".

* After the 2001 season's opening night, the house closed for a three-year renovation. It added 214 seats to the carmine-and-gilt hall. The backstage was demolished and replaced with a bigger stage and new equipment to hold scenery for three operas at the same time.

* Famous singers who have performed at La Scala include Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Renata Tebaldi, Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo.

* La Scala's season always starts on December 7, the feast day of Milan's patron saint, Saint Ambrose.

* Barenboim was named "maestro" at La Scala in 2006, filling the void left by Riccardo Muti's exit as music director. He will conduct two productions each season until 2012.

SOURCES: Reuters and La Scala's Web site www.teatroallascala.org

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)