Teatro Olimpico

Andrea Palladio's final commission turned a brick hall into a classical theatre beneath a roof. Commissioned by the Accademia Olimpica in 1580 and inaugurated in 1585, the Teatro Olimpico preserves the wooden perspective streets constructed by Vincenzo Scamozzi for its first performance.

Why it matters

Vicenza's civic museums describe the Teatro Olimpico as the oldest covered theatre in existence. Designed in the final months of Palladio's life for the Accademia Olimpica, it was built for a learned society that had staged performances in temporary wooden structures for more than twenty years. It opened in 1585 with a Greek tragedy and has remained the Academy's ceremonial home, preserving its original theatrical purpose and stage perspectives.

What to notice

The Odeo and Antiodeo, added by Vincenzo Scamozzi, lead into the theatre. The Odeo contains frescoes of deities and allegories by Francesco Maffei, painted around 1637. The Antiodeo holds a monochrome frieze from about 1595 recording Academy productions, including Amor Costante, Sofonisba and Oedipus Rex, as well as the visit of Japanese legates. Inside, thirteen rows of the semi-elliptical cavea rise to an exedra with columns and niches containing statues of the Academy's founding members in ancient dress. Ruggero Bascapè's reliefs of the Labours of Hercules run along the upper order; a painted sky by Ferdinando Bialetti, dating to 1914, covers the cavea. Five openings in the proscenium reveal Scamozzi’s seven perspective streets of Thebes, made for the 1585 opening and retained permanently.

Context and history

The Accademia Olimpica was founded in 1555 and performed in temporary venues before commissioning a permanent theatre from its member Palladio in February 1580. Construction began that May, drawing on Vitruvius and Roman theatres. Palladio died before the year's end; his son Silla continued the work, and the building was handed to the city in 1583. The inaugural performance, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, took place on 3 March 1585 with Scamozzi's scenery. The wooden perspectives were meant as temporary scenery but became permanent. They were dismantled during the Second World War for protection and reinstalled in 1948. The theatre continues to host the Accademia's seasons and the civic programme.