Teatro Ariston

The Ariston Theatre in Sanremo is a cinema and performance venue inaugurated in 1963, nationally associated with the Italian Song Festival and Premio Tenco.

Why it matters

The theatre became a defining stage of Italian popular music when the Festival della Canzone Italiana moved there in 1977. Its history continues a family tradition of cinema and entertainment in Sanremo that began with Carlo Vacchino's travelling cinematograph in 1908. The Ariston remains a landmark of the city's twentieth-century cultural life.

What to notice

The main hall was designed as a multi-purpose cinema-theatre, able to host film, concerts and televised events. The wider Ariston complex includes the former Ariston Mignon, later known as the Ritz, and the Roof halls. Nearby, the Centrale cinema and its Tabarin hall extend the history of the Vacchino family's venues in the city.

Context and history

The Vacchino family's entertainment business developed from the Sanremese cinema opened in the early twentieth century. The Ariston complex began on Via Matteotti in 1953, and the main hall opened on 31 May 1963. It hosted the first Premio Tenco in 1974; the Festival della Canzone Italiana moved there in 1977 after decades at the Casino. Carla and Walter Vacchino modernized the complex in 1986–1987, continuing the family's stewardship.