TEATRO ALL’ANTICA

It was built between 1588 and 1590 by the Vicentine architect Vincenzo Scamozzi and is the city's most important building; it is of primary importance in the field of theatre buildings: in fact, it is the first example of a stable theatre, built from nothing, not bound by pre-existing structures. The elegant exterior has two orders; the string-course fascia bears the inscription: 'ROMA QVANTA FVIT IPSA RVINA DOCET' (The ruins themselves teach us how great Rome was). On the raised stage there is a fixed scene: the original was destroyed in the 18th century, the present one is a reconstruction made at the end of the 20th century. The building was completed in February 1590 and inaugurated with the carnival celebrations, so the theatre, like the entire city, experienced a long period of decay. It was used in the following centuries for a variety of uses until the 1950s when restoration work began.