Domenico Barbaia
Domenico Barbaia (1777–1841), also spelled Barbaja, was a famous Italian opera impresario. Born in Milan, he started out by running a coffee shop and created the Barbajada drink—a frothy coffee that helped make him wealthy. He used his fortune to open a string of Milanese cafes and even became involved in bar culture beyond coffee.
Barbaia later made money selling munitions during the Napoleonic wars and ran gambling operations at the La Scala opera house. He moved to Naples in 1806 and soon took over the major Teatro San Carlo and other venues, growing into a powerful figure in Neapolitan theatre. By 1809 he controlled several theatres there and, from 1821, also ran two theatres in Vienna. In 1826 he briefly took charge of La Scala in Milan before returning to Naples.
As an impresario, Barbaia commissioned works from leading composers such as Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Carl Maria von Weber. In 1815 he signed Gioacchino Rossini to a seven-year contract, and Rossini produced ten operas for Barbaia, including Otello, Armida, Mosè in Egitto, Ermione, La donna del lago, and Maometto II. Among the singers in Barbaia’s company were Giovanni David, Andrea Nozzari, Michele Benedetti, and Isabella Colbran, who was Barbaia’s lover for a time before leaving him for Rossini.
Barbaia died in Posillipo in 1841.
This page was last edited on 29 January 2026, at 06:01 (CET).