The 10 best theatres in Italy to discover and visit

The theatre is an essential component of Italian cultural roots since the country was born. Italian theatres are among the most beautiful and important in the world. The most ancient arenas in Italy have been built in the ages of Magna Graecia and Ancient Rome, when they were considered not just as entertainment spaces but also as gathering places, the heart of social e political life of the citizens.

Several amphitheatres in ancient times are nowadays well preserved tourist e cultural centres and esteemed destinations for Italian and foreign visitors, thanks to their timeless beauty.

Modern Italian theatres – that have been built from the XVI century on, in order to represent royal and noble families – the so called opera houses, have artistic value as well and today they are active cultural centres, too.

Either amphitheatres and opera houses can be visited not just if you wish to attend every kind of show, but also to be just admired for their architectural magnificence.

For  World Theatre Day, 27th of March, we'd like to bring you in a tour around our country, to let you find out 10 important Italian theatres and open air arenas, a travel back in time between red velvet seats and curtains and stone stairways. 

San Carlo Theater in Naples was founded in 1737 and is therefore the oldest opera house in the world. It stands next to Piazza del Plebiscito, the beating heart of the Neapolitan city. King Charles III of Bourbon ordered its construction and it was inaugurated in 1737. Work on this majestic theatre was entrusted to the architect Giovanni Antonio Medrano.

In 1809 the architect Antonio Niccolini took care of its renovation, first of all changing the façade into a neoclassical style and giving the theatre the typical connotations of a temple. In 1816 a fire destroyed the theatre, leaving only the perimeter walls intact.

In just nine months, Antonio Niccolini rebuilt the theatre, which remained faithful to the previous design with its horseshoe-shaped layout, five tiers of boxes and a gallery, as well as a large royal box. In the centre of the ceiling is the painting of Apollo presenting the world's greatest poets to Minerva, painted by the Cammarano brothers.

The greatest musicians and conductors have performed in this grand theatre, which has also hosted many ballets. In 1812, Italy's oldest ballet school was founded at San Carlo.

After the Second World War, the San Carlo Theatre was the first theatre in Italy to reopen, once again holding a record. The San Carlo Theatre has also been included by Unesco in the list of World Heritage monuments.

Opera Theatre in Rome is perhaps the theatre that has undergone the greatest modernisation in the 20th century, especially in its façade. It was Domenico Costanzi who wanted this theatre and in fact the theatre bore his name until it was purchased by the Governor of Rome.

Costanzi entrusted the work to the architect Achille Sfondrini, who built it between 1874 and 1880 in neo-Renaissance style, paying great attention to acoustics. It was inaugurated on 27 November 1880 with Rossini's opera Semiramide. Originally the theatre had three tiers of boxes, an amphitheater and a gallery, all surmounted by a dome frescoed by Annibale Brugnoli.

In 1926 the Municipality of Rome bought it and renovation work was entrusted to the architect Marcello Piacentini, who increased the three tiers of boxes by one and installed an extraordinary crystal chandelier, the largest in Europe.

When the Republic came into power, Piacentini was again entrusted with the restoration of the facade, in particular, in a 20th-century style. Over the years, the Opera House has acquired international prestige with the succession of world-famous performers such as Caruso, Gigli, Maria Callas, Domingo and Pavarotti. Today the Rome Opera House has a capacity of 1650 seats. 

Alla Scala Theatre in Milan is one of the largest and most prestigious in Italy. It was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 with the opera "L'Europa" by Antonio Salieri. It was built at the behest of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria by the neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini on the ruins of the Ducal Theatre and the Church of Santa Maria alla Scala, demolished for the construction of the theatre.

The hall is shaped like a horseshoe and embellished with neoclassical decorations. To ensure better acoustics, a wooden vault was chosen, almost like a natural sounding board. Above the proscenium is a clock indicating the hours and minutes supported by two female figures in bas-relief.

Since 1812, with Rossini and many other prestigious names to follow, the Alla Scala theatre has become the home of melodrama and then also of ballet. On 16 August 1943, a bombing raid hit Milan, destroying the roof, the vault and other areas of the theatre. Reconstruction immediately followed, including the installation of a copy of the majestic 19th-century chandelier that was destroyed, which hangs from the vault and has 383 light bulbs.

Today the dominant colours are gold and ivory. A complex system of staircases with several flights, known as "pincer staircases", connects the foyer with the corridors leading to the boxes. In 2000, Piermarini's original design was extended by Swiss architect Mario Botta and today has 6 levels of boxes and galleries with 2030 spectators.

He also added a larger stage tower and engineer Franco Malgrande built a stage machine capable of bringing the scenes up to 4 metres above the normal stage level. Since 1951, at the behest of the then artistic director Victor de Sabata, La Scala's opening day has coincided with 7 December, St Ambrogio, the patron saint of Milan. 

Inaugurated in 1585, the Olympic Theatre of Vicenza was a project by the architect Andrea Palladio and it is the oldest covered Italian resident theatre of the modern age.

The Olympic Theatre celebrated noble families of Vicenza and housed classic comedies on stage, but today it provides operas, jazz concerts and musicals.

The peculiarity of this theatre lies in its wonderful architecture: it has a wooden and stucco structure but it is inspired by the ancient style of Roman temples and amphitheatres, enriched by columns, steps and 95 classic design statues, recalling Renaissance studies on Vitruvio.

Entering in this theatre means let yourself bewitched from a huge optical illusion, that makes you feel like being in the maze of a open air area – a very smart trick to visually enlarge a rather limited space. It is part of UNESCO World Heritage list and it is available to be visited during the year. 

La Pergola is an amazing example of Italian theatre of 1600 and in particular of “sala all'italiana”, that is “Italian style stage”, that focuses on the classic horseshoe shape and overlapped loges lines.

It is a reference in Florence, where it was build between 1652 and 1656 thanks to the Accademia degli Immobili, a group of noblemen involved in art and culture, and it was an exclusive place for Medici court.

During the XX century, the theatre presented especially melodramas but from the 1950s onwards became a reference for prosa performances lovers. In addition, from 1979 to 1996 it housed the Bottega Teatrale di Firenze, an acting school for young actors directed by Vittorio Gassman.

Nowadays, the Teatro La Pergola presents various morning, evening and night (after 11 pm) shows, but even exhibitions and labs, and you can visit it by booking a very cheap ticket.