3 – GUGLIELMI THEATRE (ENG)

The decision to build a new municipal theater arose a few years after the Unification of Italy, following the changing needs of the city, which had rendered the old court theater inside the Ducal Palace inadequate.

The design was entrusted in 1872 to Vincenzo Micheli, a renowned Tuscan architect, and construction began in 1877.

The theater, dedicated to the famous composer from Massa, Pier Alessandro Guglielmi, was inaugurated on April 25, 1886, with a performance of Maria of Rohan by Gaetano Donizetti.

An elegant example of the Italian-style theater, the Guglielmi features the characteristic horseshoe-shaped layout surrounded by four tiers of boxes and can accommodate up to 448 people. Inside, highlights include the central part of the movable ceiling and the historic stage curtain, painted by Annibale Gatti, depicting Pier Alessandro Guglielmi’s triumph at the Phoenix Theater in Venice.

The theater also housed the municipal music school, and its rooms served as a venue for conferences and debates.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the theater hosted opera seasons, recitals, plays, charity events, and grand balls.

Apart from a brief interruption in 1945 due to the war, the theater has always fulfilled its primary function, occasionally alternating with other entertainment or film screenings.

Following recent renovation work, the Guglielmi Theater has fully resumed its activities, complementing the program of the smaller, also municipally owned, Servants Theatre.