The neoclassical Teatro Marrucino in Chieti was constructed in the early 19th century. Located in the city’s historical center, its main decorations are the frescoed ceiling and the curtain.
Teatro Marrucino Chieti
Useful information
Address: Via Cesare de Lollis, 10 – 66100 Chieti. Phone: +39 0871 330470. Opening times and ticket price depend on the event.
History and description
Chieti’s Teatro Marrucino was constructed when the original theater of the city had become too small. This Teatro Vecchio dated from the mid-18th century. The architect was Eugenio Michitelli.
The site chosen for its construction used to be taken up by the deconsecrated Church of the Santi Stefano and Ignazio.
Construction lasted from 1813 till 1817. Inauguration took place in the beginning of 1818, with Rossini’s “La Cenerentola”.
Between 1873 and 1879 the Teatro Marrucino was enlarged.
The latest renovation was in 1972.
What to see
Ceiling
The Teatro Marrucino is richly decorated with gilded wall lights and a ceiling painted with depictions of the muses and medallions containing portraits of composers and playwrights.
Curtain
The curtain was painted by Giovanni Ponticelli, an artist from Naples. The work depicts the “Triumph of Gaius Asinius Pollio”. Gaius was a Roman consul (75BC – 4AD) who had been born in Chieti and was to found the first public library in Rome.
Entrance
The two life-sized terracotta statues of pages at the entrance are the work of the local sculptor Costantio Barbella (1852-1925).