The city of Ravenna boasts a long theatrical and musical tradition, having had rooms permanently or occasionally dedicated to performances and true public theatre structures since the mid-16th century. There is record of a wooden stage for the “Chomedia” since 1556, in the Hall of the Town Hall (the current Council Hall), where theatrical and musical activities continued until 1867.
Various halls of the Apostolic Palace were periodically adapted for public shows from 1615 to 1841. At the Nobles’ College (active from 1696 to 1877), which played a significant role in the cultural, moral, and political formation of Ravenna’s ruling class, a large hall was built for theatre that also occupied the first floor of the palace in height. Additionally, in the courtyard of the College itself, an open-air theatre was created with “pavilions,” that is, large tents for mobile coverage. The last news concerning the use of this palace’s premises dates back to 1812. Following the demolition in 1702 of the stage in the Town Hall’s Hall, it was decided to build a new public theatre: the Community Theatre.
The design was assigned to the Ravenna architect Giacomo Anziani (1684-1736). By 1723, the external masonry construction was completed; the following year the interior was finished: it had 97 boxes divided into four tiers. The elegant, baroque-style theatre was expanded between 1779 and 1782. Closed in 1857, the building was repurposed. Another city theatre, the Bertoldi Theatre, was built in 1846 and inaugurated the following year. Composed of an orchestra section, two tiers of boxes on the back wall, and two lateral galleries extending toward the stage, it included a tavern and café. From 1867, it was managed by the Philodramatic Academy.
Performances ended on May 29, 1887; in 1890 it was demolished and replaced by a civic building. Gaetano Patuelli began in 1863 the construction of a theatre composed of two tiers of boxes and a gallery divided into small boxes; the orchestra was half occupied by seats, half free for standing audience. In 1877, during the Graziani management, it was named after Angelo Mariani. After numerous restorations and refurbishments, it was closed in 1929. Only in 1948 was the building fully rebuilt, becoming a cinema-theatre, as it had been in 1896 with the first screenings of the Lumiere Cinematograph. Following the Philodrammatic Academy’s request for the concession of the former Church of St. Clare building, the Philodrammatic Theatre arose in Ravenna: although incomplete, it was inaugurated in 1892. The orchestra pit had an inclined floor; the gallery, completed in 1893, consisted of a central body and two side extensions supported by columns and iron brackets.
In 1919, the theatre was named after the fellow townsman Luigi Rasi and continued activity until 1938. It remained closed until 1962, when a radical transformation of the building was proposed to the City Administration: thus began a long dispute resolved in 1970. Currently, the Rasi Theatre, dedicated to alternative theatrical activities, looks like a cinema hall with a large orchestra section, gallery, and a relatively small stage. However, the city’s most representative theatrical building is undoubtedly the Alighieri Theatre, active since 1852. Around 1830, the municipal administration began research and design to find an architectural solution to satisfy Ravenna’s interest in theatre, given the insufficiency of existing structures. The commission was given to Ignazio Sarti, since 1827 director of the Academy of Fine Arts, who developed a renovation plan for the old Community Theatre that included an expansion towards today’s Einaudi Square. It was never realized for various reasons, including urban planning issues.
In 1838, a council commission was appointed to study and compile a proposal for erecting a new theatre. Upon review of the report, the project was assigned to architect Tommaso Meduna, who had reconstructed the interior of Venice’s La Fenice Theatre. Presented in July 1839, the project sparked controversy, so in 1840 brothers Giovan Battista and Tommaso Meduna submitted a revised and reduced plan aligned with modifications suggested by the City Administration. That same year work began, including demolition of old surrounding houses and an altered facade orientation, previously toward the Treasury Palace (today’s Post Office Palace), then facing present-day Via Mariani. Work lasted longer than expected, so in 1852, to cover expenses, boxes on the fourth tier were sold. Paintings and decorations of the orchestra section, as well as the foyer, the casino, and adjoining rooms, were created by Venetian painters Giuseppe Voltan and Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri; decorations were applied by carver Garbato; gilding by Carlo Franco – all Venetians chosen by the Meduna brothers.
The furniture and in some cases the interior decoration of the boxes were entrusted to individual owners. In the large space above the orchestra’s vault, the scene painting room was created. The solemn inauguration occurred on May 15, 1852, with Meyerbeer’s Roberto il diavolo and Pacini’s Medea, followed by two ballets, one heroic, the other semi-character: La Zingara and La finta sonnambula. On the same morning, the apostolic delegate Stefano Rossi proposed naming it the Dante Alighieri Theatre.
The facade consists of a portico projecting from the building’s body and raised five steps from street level. It has five intercolumns on the lower level, above which three beam-framed windows open on the upper floor. Under the portico, beside the three entrances, ticket offices are located. The entrance hall, richly decorated ceiling, features Ionic columns: entrances lead to complementary rooms used as cloakrooms and smoking rooms, the staircase to the upstairs lounge, and the entrances to the hall and boxes.
The horseshoe-shaped orchestra section is composed of four tiers with twenty-three boxes each, plus the gallery, with continuous parapets decorated with figures, animals, and floral motifs. The central seven boxes of the fourth tier form a reduced gallery. The prestigious second-tier box, with a convex balcony, is decorated on the sides with Corinthian columns and topped with drapes. The hall’s ceiling is richly decorated with floral motifs and female figures. From the central rosette hangs the chandelier, while boxes are lit by Liberty-style lanterns. The orchestra pit is separated from the orchestra section by a wooden balustrade. The large forward-projecting stage is equipped with dressing rooms and service areas.
The original curtain was painted by Venetian artist Giovanni Busato and depicted Theodoric’s entry into Ravenna. The proscenium curtain, with the apotheosis of Dante, was by Sebastiano Sarti of Murano. The Alighieri Theatre stands out for an incredible amount of restorations, reinforcements, and restructurings it underwent throughout this century. In 1906, amid great controversy, the first electric lighting system was installed. In 1919, restorations to the ceiling decorations of the foyer were carried out by Enrico Piazza.
In 1925, the floors of the Casino and adjacent rooms were redone. An important first restoration of the theatre was made between 1929 and 1931, during which a new building was constructed to house dressing rooms behind the stage, and a gallery was created on the fourth tier replacing the nine central boxes. The stage was furnished along with the support wall for the stage lift, and the floor was lowered to create the orchestra pit. Restrooms were built, and the café was moved to the first floor.
The awning was replaced, and the orchestra director’s box was enlarged. Electrical systems were redone, and a new modern heating system was installed. After thirty years, the theatre was closed and declared unsafe due to the dangerous presence of pests in the wooden structures. From 1959 to 1967, restoration work on the roofs was performed, replacing damaged beams with mixed steel-concrete roofing. The floor of the lounge was replaced, the back wall of the stage consolidated, and masonry support pillars rebuilt; flooring and all coverings, including stairs to the galleries and dressing rooms, were renewed. The lounge and orchestra sections were restored, and the exterior painted.
The sheet metal work was redone along with the electrical system. Tunnels were created to install electrical pipes, and others for air conditioning pipes. A fireproof curtain was created. Seats in the gallery and orchestra section, furnishings, awning, and drapes were replaced. Between 1991 and 1993, significant updates to meet safety standards were carried out in the theatre.
The most significant works include: rewiring with concealed installation in both artist and public areas; asbestos-containing plaster removal from the metal roof trusses in the stage area; after complete environmental rehabilitation, protective coatings were applied to increase fire resistance of affected trusses. Installed were lightning protection and smoke and intrusion detection systems; reclassification of heating systems with revision of ventilation and air conditioning following fire regulation compliance. Further work followed for rearranging pools for rapid water drainage in case of fire. Artist staff rooms were renovated with new furnishings and sanitary facilities. Extraordinary maintenance upgraded public restrooms to current health standards. Exterior walls were treated for humidity by replacing damaged plaster with breathable lime-based hydraulic plaster and cocciopesto on the exterior side, walls were painted with lime-based paint. Today, the Alighieri Theatre hosts regular concerts, drama, and opera performances. (Nadia Ceroni / Caterina Spada)
