MUST - Museo storico e multimediale del Teatro Regio

MUST is the museum dedicated to the history of Parma's Teatro Regio, interpreting the opera house's architecture, collections and place in the city's musical life.

Why it matters

The museum focuses on the theatre commissioned by Maria Luigia and inaugurated in 1829. Its subject connects architecture, music and civic identity, from the original Nuovo Teatro Ducale to the Teatro Regio's later association with Verdi and Parma's operatic tradition.

What to notice

Materials related to the auditorium's four tiers of boxes, Girolamo Magnani's 1853 decoration and the theatre's chandeliers interpret the building's design. The historic 1829 curtain by Giovan Battista Borghesi and a later curtain by Mimmo Paladino reflect different periods in the theatre's artistic history. The Sala del Ridotto preserves evidence of the theatre's social and musical life.

Context and history

Architect Nicola Bettoli designed the theatre for Maria Luigia; construction began in 1821 and the building opened on 16 May 1829 with Bellini's Zaira. The earlier Teatro Ducale in Palazzo della Riserva had operated since 1689. Political changes brought successive names before the institution became the Teatro Regio. The museum interprets this history alongside the theatre's enduring role in Parma's musical culture.