Arena del sole

During the French occupation in Bologna (1796-1816) literary and scientific institutions were founded in part still exist: in 1802 the Academy of Fine Arts, in 1803, the Botanical Gardens and the Agricultural Garden, in 1810 the Agricultural Society . Many monasteries in the city were closed and religious forcibly removed. In this welter of change, in a different use of space planning, is part of the birth of the Arena del Sole which will occupy an area where there was part of the ancient convent of Santa Maria Maddalena expropriated the Church, including two churches and two cloisters. The old convent remains today one cloister of the fifteenth century, a part of the bell tower and fragments of frescoes from the same period, detached and transported in the Gallery in 1934. Was in 1799 a certain Peter Bonini, stamped leather merchant, who had the idea to build an Arena to offer during the summer months during the afternoon until sunset, shows of any type using the light of day. He entrusted the project to the architect Carlo Asparri professor who in 1810 realized the Arena called precisely "the Sun." Fortuitously preserved in an engraving of 1825 shows that C. Savini as the Arena was conceived, being destroyed and lost all the original auditorium projects for implementation. Asparri taught architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts and was a student of Master Filippo Antolini who had designed the Foro Bonaparte in Milan at whose designs seems to have been inspired Asparri. It 'was noted an affinity Arena Bolognese with the project for a theater in Milan engineer Pistocchi. The arena was built with a semi-circular stepped complaint that the loan from the ideas proclaimed by Francis Militia, one of the most stringent proponents of theories of neo-classicism of the Enlightenment footprint. The most suitable place for the representations of public performances was, according to the Militia, cancel the differences in wealth and allow everyone to enjoy the show in the same way. No more royal boxes, or the first or second order, it 'side balconies, or the galleries, you had to go back to the simplicity of the theaters of the ancients. But the arena was not realized slavishly following the directions of the Militia because the incision Savini is known that the plant had a very enlarged horseshoe instead of semicircular. The audience was surrounded by bleachers limited by a wall in imitation of ashlar. Above was a gallery decorated with fake niches. Decorations were painted by Luigi Cirrus Prato. At the entrance of the Arena opened a large garden. The Arena was opened in July 1810 with the representation of an anonymous author Corradino D'Este tournament or the hero of the Rubicon, interpreted by the Company Comedy Zuccato. The Arena could hold up to two thousand spectators; this figure does not seem unrealistic because at one time, as is customary even in opera houses, people flocked crammed into every available corner. Given that five years before Napoleon Bonaparte, having implemented new changes to the city, had also transformed the Hillock, next to the market square in an elegant walk from the Arena immediately became a central and successful structure, immediately imitated in other neighborhoods of the city. The Arena became the popular theater par excellence with performances of plays, dramas, party carnival, shows Cistercians, of illusion and jugglers. In 1835, for the first time, the company Luigi Taddei asked to cover the floor with a curtain for evening performances. In 1887-1888 the theater closed for a total renovation at the first creation of the modern Via Independence. It was decided to create a facade (which is the only nineteenth-century structure Arena preserved intact until today) designed and built by engineer Gaetano Rubbi in 1888. Has been noted as the outside was certainly not able to adapt within since this forms much less courtly. The façade is entirely formed by a high and mighty portico resting on three large arches supported by coupled columns with Corinthian capitals. Reason for unifying the facade is the high cornice decorating the word giant frieze that runs above the arches. It reads "PLACE SINCE THE DAYTIME SHOWS 'featuring grandly from the outside, the peculiarity of the place of representation - even if time had already started an occasional evening program. Crown the façade, in the manner of a gable, a "pediment" with five statues of academic taste, of which the center is seated winged figure of Apollo with the sides sessions, Poetry (left) and Tragedy (right ) made ​​concrete by sculptor Alfredo Blacks. In 1949, having decided to transform the Arena theater and cinema evening, it was built a roof and knocked down all the steps become unsuitable. In 1950 he opened to the public with a screening of the film Cavalcade of heroes: for twenty years was mainly cinema. In the seventies, the architect Cervellati studied a project that involved the transformation of the Arena into a cultural center with several theaters and cinemas, library and film library with multipurpose halls and meeting places. The project then seemed too ambitious and it was decided to simply adapt the Arena theater hall. In May of 1984, the Municipality of Bologna bought the building from the Opera Pia John XXIII to implement an extensive renovation project in Bologna lacking a playhouse adequate. The first phase of work began in August 1984 until December of the same year with the execution of building works and installations for the stage to safety standard that allowed to reopen the theater with performances under the artistic direction of Yuri Lubimov. In June 1986, he was given start to a second part of the work which ended after two years, with the restoration and renovation of the theater hall, foyer and atrium-the rehearsal room. On that occasion, it was built for the first time in Italy a modern modular hydraulically raised wooden platform with pistons that allow the floor to the audience rising level of the stage so doubling the amplitude for the representation of thirteen to twenty-five meters. For this reason, the metallic grid construction for the movement of the scenes overhangs also part of the space of the audience. The side galleries were built, the first circular staircase with four rows of seats, surmounted by two tiers of boxes and a gallery with five rows of tiered seats. They were built all the facilities and a small theater room in the basement. The third phase of the work began in 1991. Since that year were completed all the plants and decor, as well as the adjacent structures of the theater. Made new horizontal structures of the floors, the roof of the hall, the plans at various levels of plant and vertical walls of fire. The stage was equipped with two large dressing rooms and eight medium-sized for artists; plus a dormitory for about fifteen actors. Deleting a parade of the proscenium forms the orchestra pit that can accommodate about seventy musicians. Above the scene are located skylights fitted with automatic opening devices to thermal action. The great room accommodates 952 spectators while the small hall between 220 and 300 spectators. Works adjustment with regard to the acoustics were made by Drs G. and R. Righini Spanish Institute Galileo Ferraris of Turin. The theater, the stage and the small room are equipped with air heating. Inside the theater are located: a ticket three wardrobe, the offices of the Directorate, two cafeterias, four rooms used as reduced exposure to environments and located in the corridors. The current Arena is a theatrical organization has a certain flexibility in accordance with the aspirations of contemporary theater-while in the design phase, the architect responsible for the renovation, Gianfranco Dellerba was inspired in his system at the Renaissance theater Sabbioneta and Farnese of Parma for the auditorium with bleachers in the form of a U. the engineer Felix Monaco's technical office of the City Council has directed the work. The architect Emilio Battisti was responsible for the interior design where special efforts have been reserved for the use of the materials but without wanting to be too valuable as solid wood, velvet green water, glass and iron. On the south side, the theater has a stained glass window on the fifteenth-century cloister, an inner courtyard and to the north via a courtyard of St. Joseph. The theater was inaugurated on February 20, 1995 with a grand opening party packed with celebrities. Dedicated to the city of Bologna was the evening with Dario Fon who represented The tumult of Bologna, and with the singers Francis Sinatra, Luca Carboni, Andrea Mingardi, the Stadium, Jimmy Villotti and Steve Grossman. The theater is currently run by the Cooperative New Scene with a schedule of shows devoted to drama and dance. (Catherine Sword)