Hortus

The Hortus is an open-air performance space in the courtyard of Cingoli's civic cultural institutes. Its setting connects theatre and music with the building that also houses the Biblioteca Ascariana and the Pinacoteca Donatello Stefanucci.

Why it matters

The courtyard shows how an existing civic complex can acquire a further cultural role. Performance adds a different use to spaces associated with books and visual art.

What to notice

The enclosing building gives the outdoor space an architectural frame, while the open sky distinguishes it from an indoor auditorium. Theatre, music and other cultural presentations have formed part of its use. The Hortus in scena series has included amateur companies from different parts of the Marche.

Context and history

The municipality developed the courtyard as an open-air theatre within its cultural complex. The seventh Hortus in scena programme, in 2023, included comedy and children's theatre. These performances form part of the space's recent cultural history, separate from Cingoli's older indoor theatre in the town hall, which was dismantled during the Second World War.