We report on the fabrication and characterization of metallo-dielectric colloidal structures (MDCS) based on the realization of inverse silica opals and following attachment of gold nanoparticles on the silica network of the inverse structure. In particular we present the protocols developed for the realization of both inverse silica opals and gold nanoparticles together with the procedure used for the immobilization of the metallic nanoparticles on the silica network. Contact angle measurements evidenced a modification in term of wettability of the surface after gold immobilization process. Optical measurements showed that MDCS have unique optical properties that combine the localized surface plasmon resonance of single Au nanoparticles with the photonic band gap features of colloidal crystal structure. Preliminary results on MDCS used as SERS substrate evidenced an increase of the Raman signal in respect to others metallic structures used as comparison.