Teatro dell'Arancio

The Teatro dell'Arancio forms part of the brick architectural ensemble on Piazza Peretti in Grottammare Alta. Its name recalls an orange tree once maintained in the square, while its facade honours the town's native Pope Sixtus V.

Why it matters

The theatre belongs to a civic project that also reshaped the square and neighbouring church. Its history connects late-eighteenth-century architectural ambition with later decline and restoration.

What to notice

The facade has three unequal orders and a niche containing Stefano Interlenghi's 1794 statue of Sixtus V. The adjoining tower combines a devotional niche, clock face and bell gable. The theatre's original interior was furnished in wood with three tiers of boxes, a distinct phase from the restored spaces that followed.

Context and history

Pietro Maggi designed the theatre within the renewal of Piazza Peretti. The orange tree associated with its name was cared for by a municipal appointee. The theatre closed as unsafe in 1899, with a final season in 1908. Its wooden furnishings were later dismantled during the influenza pandemic. Restoration led to reopening in 2003, adding a new cultural chapter to the building.