Teatro Regio

Turin's Teatro Regio pairs an eighteenth-century façade on Piazza Castello with a modern auditorium designed by Carlo Mollino and opened in 1973.

Why it matters

Founded by the House of Savoy and opened in 1740, the Regio has long been Turin's principal opera house. Its history encompasses both the royal capital's cultural life and the twentieth-century reinvention that followed a devastating fire in 1936. The surviving façade and modern interior embody those contrasting periods.

What to notice

The neoclassical façade faces Piazza Castello between Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama. Inside, the curved walls and star-patterned brickwork reflect Mollino's modern design. The foyer's stairways and suspended walkways create a dramatic interior, while the auditorium was shaped to support opera and orchestral performance.

Context and history

The Savoy court established the theatre in 1740. Its original auditorium was destroyed by fire in 1936, and the theatre reopened in 1973 in a new design by Carlo Mollino. The Fondazione Teatro Regio di Torino continues the institution's artistic role.