Teatro Costantino Belluscio

The Teatro Costantino Belluscio is Altomonte’s modern municipal theatre. It opened in 1988 as part of a project to address a road bottleneck through the town, and its façade carries mosaics depicting scenes from Greek theatre.

Why it matters

The theatre grew from a municipal project begun in 1980 to widen a problematic stretch of road through Altomonte’s centre. The town developed the intervention into a cultural venue, inaugurated on 31 July 1988 with the first Festival dei Due Mari. With about one thousand seats, it is a substantial public cultural space for the hill town.

What to notice

Mosaic works added to the façade in 1991–92 depict scenes from Greek theatre. The building’s modern design and classical imagery distinguish it from the medieval architecture that shapes much of Altomonte’s historic centre.

Context and history

The theatre’s origins lie in the road-rebuilding scheme planned in 1980; it opened eight years later. Its municipal cultural programme has included the Festival Euromediterraneo, the Festival Teatro Scuola, the Festival della Danza and the Altomonte Rock Festival. The theatre bears the name of Costantino Belluscio, journalist and parliamentarian who served as mayor of Altomonte in two periods between 1975 and 2004.