Teatro Il Rivellino

Tuscania's municipal theatre took its present shape in 1998, after a five-year reconstruction. Its predecessor, an eighteenth-century playhouse, was destroyed in 1954 when the adjacent Torre del Bargello collapsed. The theatre's name, Il Rivellino, refers to the ruined medieval outwork opposite.

Why it matters

The municipal account traces three theatre buildings: the eighteenth-century playhouse destroyed in 1954, its replacement completed in 1971, and the 1998 reconstruction. The replacement had been designed in the 1960s, but reconstruction following the 1971 earthquake diverted the city's attention, and the theatre was often closed. The later project renewed the performance venue while retaining elements of its earlier auditorium.

What to notice

The 1992 project by Milan architects Kanah and Porta preserved the semicircular seating and stacked balconies, adding a new service block alongside the curved auditorium wall. The block contains circulation spaces and a lift. The rear wing of Palazzo Municipale, behind the stage, was adapted for dressing rooms and stage services. The stage was enlarged and fitted with technical machinery. A hall now connects the entrances on Piazza Franco Basile and Largo del Teatro, making the theatre a passage between the two frontages. The new wing uses local materials in a contemporary design beside the older town fabric.

Context and history

The name refers to the ruin opposite the theatre: the rivellino of the medieval defences, identified by local sources with the remains of a thirteenth-century fortified palace that housed the Council and Podestà before the present town hall replaced it. The theatre reopened on 19 December 1998 as a renewed civic cultural venue.