Teatro della Vittoria

Sarnano's Teatro della Vittoria occupies the first floor of the Palazzo del Popolo on Piazza Alta. Its horseshoe auditorium has three tiers of decorated boxes and a ceiling painted as a Roman velarium, with trompe-l'oeil lunettes. A curtain showing a winged Victory gave the theatre its name.

Why it matters

The theatre grew from a civic project: in 1829, thirty-six palchettisti formed a condominium to establish a public hall in the Palazzo del Popolo. Construction began in 1831 under engineer Luigi Fedeli, with decoration by Gaetano Ferri. The theatre became a shared cultural space for the town.

What to notice

The compact auditorium has a horseshoe plan and three decorated tiers of boxes. The neoclassical ceiling depicts a Roman velarium with trompe-l'oeil lunettes; faux-marble Corinthian pilasters frame the proscenium. The curtain, painted by an artist named Rossi in the records, depicts winged Victory. Restoration in the 1990s removed papier-mâché decoration added during a 1930s refurbishment and recovered earlier painted ornament.

Context and history

An 1896 regulation documents the theatre's palchettisti and its deputazione. During the Second World War, scenery, furnishings and stage machinery were destroyed. The theatre reopened in 1947, later serving as a cinema and dance venue until 1968. A restoration led by architect Giuseppe Gentili and restorer Gianfranco Pasquali culminated in its inauguration on 18 May 1991; the Circolo di Piazza Alta was founded the following year. The earthquakes of October 2016 rendered the building unusable.