The majestic complex of the Romolo Valli Municipal Theatre, surrounded by public gardens, stands in the centre of Reggio Emilia. It hosts a prestigious opera and concert season and a wide variety of ballets.
In 1851 a fire destroyed the Cittadella Theatre (located since 1741 in the place currently occupied by the Ariosto Theatre), where the community used to meet during theatre season. The Modenese architect Cesare Costa was commissioned to build a new theatre which was inaugurated on 21 April 1857.
The building follows the typical Italian theatre layout, with an entrance hall with foyer, stalls, boxes and stage. The South-facing main facade has a Doric portico, with 12 columns surmounted by terraces. The façade of the loggia features twenty 3-metre-high statues depicting elements of education and pleasure. The horseshoe-shaped hall includes stalls, four tiers of boxes (106 in total) and a stepped gallery, for a total of about 1,150 seats. At the centre of the second tier of boxes is the ancient ducal box, used today by town officials. Behind each tier of boxes are wide corridors where dressing rooms (or back boxes) are positioned in correspondence with each box, some are frescoed.
Luciano Pavarotti made his debut here in 1961. In 1980 it was named after the great local actor Romolo Valli following his untimely death.
Emilia-Romagna Film Commission
Viale Aldo Moro 38 — 40127 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 5278753
Email: filmcom@regione.emilia-romagna.it
