Teatro Rossini

Pesaro's Teatro Rossini is closely associated with the composer Gioachino Rossini, who conducted at the theatre's 1818 inauguration. The neoclassical house later took his name and became the principal venue of the Rossini Opera Festival, founded in 1980.

Why it matters

The theatre's history links Pesaro's civic culture with its most famous composer. The building began as the Teatro del Sole in 1637, was rebuilt as the Teatro Nuovo in 1816–1818, and was dedicated to Rossini in 1855. Since 1980 it has served as the main venue of the Rossini Opera Festival, which focuses on the composer's works.

What to notice

The theatre retains the classic Italian form: a horseshoe auditorium with four tiers of boxes beneath a gallery. The original curtain, painted by Angelo Monticelli, survives among the theatre's historic features. The sixteenth-century portal and front section were preserved during Pietro Ghinelli's nineteenth-century reconstruction. The Sala della Repubblica, added during the renovation completed in 1934, extends the theatre's civic and cultural role.

Context and history

The site began as ducal stables built in the late sixteenth century for Guidubaldo II della Rovere, to designs attributed to Filippo Terzi. In 1637 the community converted them into the Teatro del Sole. Pietro Ghinelli rebuilt the theatre in 1816–1818 as the Teatro Nuovo, inaugurated with La gazza ladra conducted by Rossini. After earthquakes in 1916 and 1930, a renovation completed in 1934 added the Sala della Repubblica. The theatre was declared unusable in 1966 and reopened in 1980 after structural recovery. A further restoration was completed in 2023.