Teatro Tito Gobbi

The courtyard of Bassano's Ezzelini castle is an open-air theatre named for Bassano-born baritone Tito Gobbi, whose career reached major theatres in Europe and America.

Why it matters

The Castello degli Ezzelini's courtyard commemorates a local singer whose voice and stage artistry, according to Treccani, earned him engagements across Europe and America. The theatre is used for the Operaestate Festival.

What to notice

The castle's double curtain walls, built from Brenta river pebbles and brick, include watchtowers and a patrol walkway. They have protected the church of Santa Maria in Colle and the town since at least 1150. The Duomo stands beyond the courtyard; the nearby restored Corpo di Guardia has held temporary exhibitions.

Context and history

The castle ground carries the city's oldest recorded date: an assembly held here on 22 July 998 marks, in the official account, the birth of Bassano as a town. Fortification followed, and the walls visible today took the form of an outer and an inner curtain designed for archery defence.

The theatre inside those walls commemorates a career that travelled far. Tito Gobbi was born in Bassano del Grappa in 1913 and died in Rome in 1984. After studying with Giulio Crimi he debuted as a baritone in Rome in 1938, and his voice and stage presence carried him through an extensive international repertoire at the major theatres of Europe and America.

The venue is listed by the Operaestate Festival as Teatro al Castello "Tito Gobbi".