Teatro Carlo Felice

Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice opened in 1828 with Bellini's Bianca e Fernando, performed before King Carlo Felice and Maria Cristina of Savoy. After wartime bombing left only the perimeter walls, the theatre was rebuilt to a design by Aldo Rossi and reopened in 1991.

Why it matters

The theatre has been a centre for opera, ballet and symphonic music in Genoa since the nineteenth century. Its history links Carlo Barabino's original design with the later reconstruction by Rossi, Ignazio Gardella, Fabio Reinhart and Angelo Sibilla. The name commemorates the king who attended its inauguration.

What to notice

The original façade survives in its columns, pronaos, Latin inscription and terrace facing Via XXV Aprile. Behind it, the reconstructed theatre has an amphitheatre-style main hall, a stage tower about 63 metres high and four mobile stages. The auditorium named for Eugenio Montale seats about 200. A bronze statue of Niccolò Paganini by Livio Scarpella stands at the entrance, recalling the violinist's 1834 performance in the theatre.

Context and history

Barabino designed the theatre on the site of the former church and convent of San Domenico. Gas lighting was introduced in 1852 and electric lighting in 1892. Bombing during the Second World War collapsed the roof and destroyed the interiors, leaving the outer walls standing. Reconstruction on the original site culminated in the theatre's reopening on 18 October 1991 with Verdi's Il trovatore.