Teatro Comunale Vittoria Colonna

The Teatro Comunale Vittoria Colonna stands beside the late-Baroque church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Vittoria. Built between 1871 and 1877, the neoclassical theatre has a horseshoe-shaped auditorium, a portico and an interior decorated with paintings and sculpture.

Why it matters

The theatre is named for Vittoria Colonna, after whom the city was founded and named in 1607. Its position beside the church links two contrasting architectural styles in the city’s main square. The building was designed by Giuseppe Di Bartolo Morselli and completed by engineer Giuseppe Mazzarella.

What to notice

The two-storey portico alternates Tuscan and Ionic columns and is crowned by a sculptural group of Apollo and the Muse. Inside, the horseshoe auditorium has a platea and four tiers of boxes. Giuseppe Mazzone painted the Allegory of Music in the vestibule and La Commedia and La Tragedia beside the stage. Corrado Leone made the statues and medallions, while Cesare Cappellani carried out the gilding. The curtain and original scenography were designed by Pasquale Subba. An eagle holding bunches of grapes decorates the proscenium keystone and echoes the city’s emblem.

Context and history

Construction took place from 1871 to 1877, and the theatre opened on 10 June 1877 with Verdi’s La forza del destino. It was briefly renamed Vittorio Emanuele before returning to the name Vittoria Colonna. The theatre was built on the Piano della Grazia, a site associated with an August fair granted in 1641 by Countess Luisa de Sandoval. The auditorium’s painted and sculpted decorations include work by artists from Vittoria and the surrounding area.