Photo by RatMan1234. The Italian territory has always played an important role in culture and history: art, music and theater are three disciplines in which well-known faces from our own roots have distinguished themselves for their ingenuity and creativity, remaining etched in the memory and considered points of reference also to centuries away. In the case of the theater, among the best known Italian architects we remember Antonio Bibiena, Andrea Palladio, Giuseppe Piermarini; the list is very long among the opera musicians, and Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini and the great librettist Francesco Maria Piave stand out. The theater, born as a meeting place for the rich society, is today a place where shows of all kinds are held, but also conferences and important meetings; let’s see theofficial ranking of the 15 most beautiful and important Italian theaters in Italy .

NB : the following ranking is the result of a survey which involved over 10,000 users of the Travel365 community, who were asked to select 5 preferences from a group of over 100 Italian theaters.

15 – Teatro Farnese, Parma – 612 votes
Photo by RatMan1234 Built as the court theater of the Dukes of Parma and Piacenza , and housed in a large hall and suffered a sad fate during World War II, being almost completely destroyed . Rebuilt in the 1950s, since 2001 it has resumed hosting important theatrical works: the version of Rigoletto with Pavarotti is very famous, available on DVD and recorded right at the Farnese Theater.

  • Capacity: 3,000 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1617 to 1618

14 – Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza – 671 votes
Photo by Didier Descouens A great Renaissance project by the architect Andrea Palladio, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza was inaugurated in 1585 with Sophocles’ Oedipus Re . It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1994 and is still used for festivals, concerts and ceremonies. The inside of the theater houses 95 statues .

It is the oldest of the theaters on this list .

  • Capacity: 470 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1580 to 1585

13 – Bibiena Theater, Mantua – 711 votes
Photo by asbruff The Bibiena Theater in Mantua, also known as the ” Scientific Theater “, is a small pearl set in the wonderful city of the Gonzagas . Designed by the architect Antonio Bibiena with the facade by Piermarini , the theater was built on what remained of an ancient Gonzaga palace: for this reason its dimensions are rather small. Today it is only open on special occasions , such as the Festivaletteratura; it is however possible to book a visit.

  • Capacity: 363 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1767 to 1769

12 – Teatro Comunale, Bologna – 739 votes
Photo by Lorenzo Gaudenzi Built following the fire that destroyed the Malvezzi Theater, the Teatro Comunale in Bologna was designed by the famous architect Antonio Bibiena . Curiosity: this was the first theater in Italy to ever host an opera by Wagner , the “Lohengrin”, which was followed by three other works by the same composer. Today it is one of the most active theaters in Bologna and in the whole of Emilia-Romagna.

  • Capacity: 1,034 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1756 to 1763

11 – Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste – 798 votes
Photo by Rollroboter Inaugurated in 1801, it enjoyed considerable success with Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco (1843 – 1844). Subject of several renovations, in 1881 the capacity was increased. The Giuseppe Verdi Opera House is known throughout Europe for the National Operetta Festival , held from 1950 to 2011.

  • Capacity: 1,300 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1798 to 1801

10 – Teatro dell’Opera, Rome – 900 votes
Also known as Teatro Costanzi from the name of its creator, Domenico Costanzi, it was bought by the Municipality of Rome which in 1926 started an expansion and arrangement project, increasing the orders of boxes 3 to 4 . This theater is very important not only for opera but also for ballet : here was the Italian premiere of “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinskij .

  • Capacity: 1,700 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1874 to 1880

9 – Vincenzo Bellini Theater, Catania – 951 votes
Photo of Superbizzu Fulcrum of opera for Catania, the hall has an immense decorative richness to the point of being considered one of the most beautiful of the theaters built during the nineteenth century. Numerous important works staged here, with some of the most famous performers: in 1950 Maria Callas performed in Bellini’s Norma.

  • Capacity: 1,200 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1870 to 1890

8 – Teatro Regio, Turin – 964 votes
Photo by Photo Ramella & Giannese The Teatro Regio in Turin is another of the most important theaters in Italy and Europe : commissioned by Duke Vittorio Amedeo II, it underwent several changes of ownership and changes of first name. Damaged by a fire in 1936, it was rebuilt in 1973 , reopening on 10 April with the opera “I Vespri Siciliani” by Giuseppe Verdi. Among the artists, an extraordinary Maria Callas.

  • Capacity: 1,592 seats
  • Period of construction: 1740

7 – Teatro della Pergola, Florence – 972 votes
Source: wikipedia Considered the ” first great example of Italian theater “, La Pergola in Florence was built with a wooden structure in the 17th century with the new boxes. Over the centuries it has undergone numerous transformations : for example in 1912 the 4th and 5th tier of boxes were demolished to make room for the Loggione. It is believed that the genre of melodrama was born in this theater .

  • Capacity: 1,200 seats
  • Construction period: 1656

6 – Carlo Felice Theater, Genoa – 984 votes
Photo by Maurizio Beatrici Main theater in Genoa, the Carlo Felice is also one of the best known in Italy . Located in the city center, it was also damaged during World War II . The process of procurement of works and reconstruction was long and tiring, and the theater was returned to the city only in 1991.

  • Capacity: 2,000 seats
  • Construction period: 1828

5 – San Carlo Theater, Naples – 997 votes
The San Carlo theater in Naples is one of the most prestigious in Italy and in the world , initially only serious opera was represented here. Over the centuries some of the most important personalities in the opera / musical field were guests, such as Handel, Hyden, Mozart first and Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi later. The two world wars caused considerable damage to the structure, and it was most recently restored in 2008.

  • Capacity: 1,386 seats
  • Period of construction: 1737

4 – Petruzzelli Theater, Bari – 1005 votes
Fourth largest theater in Italy in terms of size, the original capacity was 3,500 people , then reduced to 1,250 for safety reasons and for some renovation works. Stopped from 1991 to 2009 due to a serious arson , it was inaugurated again with Puccini’s Turandot.

  • Capacity: 1,250 seats
  • Period of construction: 1903

3 – Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice – 1047 votes
Photo of Zairon Theater with a long and complex history: victim of two fires , it has undergone a double reconstruction. The substance, however, does not change: the Fenice is one of the most important Italian and world theaters, home to numerous premieres of operas by Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and important opera and symphonic seasons. La Fenice was also home to the International Festival of Contemporary Music.

  • Capacity: 1,000 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1790 to 1792

2 – Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, Palermo – 1092 votes
Photo by gnuckx The Teatro Massimo in Palermo is the largest opera house in Italy and one of the most important in Europe . The original capacity was 3,200 seats , and it was the site of some important world premieres, including “Barbarina” by Gino Marinuzzi and “Mimi Pinson” by Ruggero Leoncavallo.

  • Capacity: 1,358 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1875 to 1891

1 – Teatro Alla Scala, Milan – 1118 votes
Photo by Wolfgang Moroder And here we are at the top of our ranking of the most beautiful and important theaters in Italy: the first place could not fail to be given to the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, home to the most prestigious national and international works and in the spotlight. Built on Piermarini’s project, the rooms such as the foyer are extremely elegant, while the room represents the turning point from the baroque theater room to the neoclassical one . There are 6 levels of stages and galleries.

  • Capacity: 2,030 seats
  • Period of construction: from 1776 to 1778
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