Teatro Ariosto

Teatro Ariosto is Reggio Emilia's prose theatre, housed in a building with a layered theatrical history. A playhouse stood on this site from 1741 until a fire in 1851; its successor reopened eight months later, and the Politeama Ariosto took shape in the mid-1870s. A 1927 renovation by Anselmo Govi gave the hall its Liberty character.

Why it matters

The theatre's history records several changes in Reggio Emilia's performance culture. The Teatro di Cittadella was destroyed by fire on the night of 21–22 April 1851. The replacement, the Filodrammatico, opened on 10 January 1852 and remained the city's main stage until the Teatro Municipale opened in 1857. In the mid-1870s, a new politeama introduced a semicircular auditorium, cast-iron construction and continuous galleries in place of two tiers of boxes.

What to notice

Frescoes on the dome draw on episodes from Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso and include the poem's opening verses. The painted curtain depicts Ariosto reciting in a garden identified as probably Il Mauriziano. Anselmo Govi's 1927 redecoration gave the hall its late-Liberty appearance; the same renovation added a sunken orchestra pit and removed structures used for equestrian performances.

Context and history

The current theatre continues the site's role as a performance venue, but the building reflects several successive stages: the Teatro di Cittadella, the post-fire Filodrammatico and the later Politeama Ariosto. The 1927 redesign established its present association with prose theatre.