Luogo - Point of interest
Teatro Farnese
Where
Piazzale della Pilotta, 15, Parma
The Farnese Theatre, located on the first floor of
the Pilotta Palace, was built in the ancient Hall of Arms (Sala d'arme)
of the court, between 1617 and 1618, by the architect Giovan Battista
Aleotti from Ferrara, nicknamed Argenta. Built with materials which
were frequently utilised for temporary structures in the Renaissance
era, like wood and stucco, which was painted to simulate marble and
precious metals. The theatre was created at the wishes of the Duke of
Parma and Piacenza, Ranuccio I Farnese (1593-1622), who wanted to
magnificently celebrate the stopover in Parma, of the Grand Duke of
Tuscany, Cosimo II de 'Medici, who was traveling to Milan to conclude a
marriage agreement between the two families. The visit of this
distinguished guest's faded away in vain and the inauguration only
occurred in 1628, with the wedding between Margherita de 'Medici and the
Duke Odoardo, with the allegorical "show" entitled "Mercury and Mars"
(text and music by Claudio Achillini and music by Claudio Monteverdi)
culminating in spectacular "naumachia" (naval battle). Due to the
complexity of the stage and its' high cost, the theater was used only on
nine occasions, for ducal wedding or important state visits. It was
almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing in May 1944, and the
theatre was rebuilt from 1956 according to the original plan. Since 1986
it has become the spectacular access to the museum's exhibition spaces.