Teatro Cortesi

Built into Sirolo's old walls, the Cortesi Theatre is a small nineteenth-century playhouse in Monte Conero stone. The townspeople chose to build a theatre rather than a road to the beach, making it a notable example of a community-backed cultural project.

Why it matters

In 1872, Mayor Montanari asked the community to choose between a road leading down to the beach and a theatre. Residents chose the theatre and took part in its construction. The façade bears the date 1873, and the playhouse was inaugurated in 1875.

What to notice

The pale stone façade is accented with brick around its windows and arches. Set into the medieval walls, the building appears almost as part of the fortification. Inside, a foyer leads to a horseshoe-shaped auditorium with two tiers of boxes and a ceiling decorated with twelve-sided mirrored panels. The intimate room holds about 220 seats.

Context and history

The theatre was built in the 1870s as a shared civic undertaking. Its design is attributed to Achille Buffoni in one account, though the architect is not consistently identified. Restorations are recorded in 1908, from 1980 to the reopening in 1989, and again between 1998 and 2000. The Cortesi remains a distinctive expression of Sirolo's nineteenth-century cultural life.