Teatro Comunale di Cesenatico

Cesenatico’s Municipal Theatre is a neoclassical building in cotto brick overlooking the Porto Canale. Built with funds raised by local citizens, it opened on the evening of 11 July 1865. Its horseshoe-shaped auditorium has two tiers of boxes, a gallery and a capacity of 270.

Why it matters

The theatre records an act of civic ambition in a nineteenth-century fishing town: citizens raised 80,000 lire to create a home for music and drama. Its history also reflects the town’s fortunes. Damaged by wartime bombing and later used as a cinema, emergency housing and a warehouse, it was restored and reopened to the public in 1992.

What to notice

The restored façade retains its neoclassical lines and cotto-brick finish. Inside, the auditorium’s horseshoe cavea opens onto two original tiers of fifteen boxes, with barcacce and a loggione. The ceiling once centred on a large wooden rose surrounded by six painted medallions; the restored ceiling is now in neutral colours. Blue remains a defining colour of the decorations and furnishings, recalling the town’s maritime origins.

The original stage curtain, painted by Pompeo Randi, depicted Cesare Borgia, Duke Valentino, alongside Leonardo da Vinci, who designed Cesenatico’s canal. The curtain was lost after the war and recreated in 2002 by students of Milan’s Brera Academy. The original Murano-glass chandelier and stage carpet were also lost.

Context and history

Construction began in 1863 with 80,000 lire raised by the citizens of Cesenatico and under the supervision of engineers Candido Panzani and Enrico Bocchini. The theatre opened on 11 July 1865. In the twentieth century, it was damaged by bombing and adapted for other uses before architect Augusto Savini directed its restoration from 1981. It reopened to the public on 14 November 1992 and continues to serve as the town’s municipal theatre.