In an elegant Liberty (Italian art nouveau) building designed as a theater and first opened in 1872, Dal Verme was designed by Giuseppe Pestagalli for the eponymous aristocratic family and was a 3,000-seater venue for opera and serious drama productions. By the 1940s, the theater had become a movie house, but it was badly bombed in Word War II and fell into disrepair. Dal Verme underwent a lengthy facelift, eventually reopening in 2001, and is now run under the auspices of the Fondazione I Pomeriggi Musicali; it has two auditoriums seating a total of 1,620 and the repertoire includes classical music as well as the odd international pop star. It's perhaps best known for the weekend matinee symphony concerts, Pomeriggi Musicali. The ticket office is open Tues–Sat 11am–7pm.