Description
The Roman Theater of Turin is what remains of the theater of ancient Augusta Taurinorum, in the heart of the old town, next to the Cathedral of San Giovanni and inside the Musei Reali complex. It dates from 13 BC and is the only structure of the Roman city to have left traces of three building phases.
For more than two centuries it was Turin's place for shows. It was born under Augustus, together with the city, in one of the most well-off districts: a simple building of about 61 by 47 meters, near the walls, with a semicircular cavea and a backdrop with three monumental doors through which the actors entered.
With the peace and prosperity between AD 70 and 90 it was remodeled. Tiers and a curved façade were added, and the theater reached a capacity of three thousand. It was still one of the smallest theaters of its kind, similar to that of Augusta Raurica, present-day Basel.
Visitors find the remains in two places: in the open air, next to the Cathedral, and in the underground part of the adjoining palace, home to the Museum of Antiquities. From the masonry cavea you can still read the shape of the theater, with its semicircular seating.
Among the details to look for are the twelve little pits where the posts of the curtain mechanisms were fixed, the intervallum, the walkway that ran between the walls and the buildings, and the traces of the porticoes behind the stage, where spectators strolled during the intervals.
The audience was divided by wealth: the best seats were in the masonry cavea, while those of lesser means had a wide upper gallery with comfortable stairs. To shelter from sun and rain there was perhaps a wooden roof with a canvas velarium.
There is also a mystery: some drainage channels found in the surroundings suggest the theater may even have hosted naumachiae, naval battles in miniature. It remains only a hypothesis.
Then Christianity banned the performances. At the end of the 4th century the abandoned theater became a quarry for the first cathedral, dedicated to Christ the Savior, and in the 16th century the remains were almost destroyed by the first French siege.
They were rediscovered in 1899, while digging for a new wing of the Royal Palace commissioned by Umberto I. The architect Alfredo d'Andrade opposed the demolition and had the project changed. So the remains were saved, and the restoration work ended in 1911.
Don't miss
• The tiers of the cavea.
• The twelve curtain pits.
• The intervallum along the walls.
Did you know?
• The theater came back to light by chance, during work on a wing of the Royal Palace.
• It took up an entire city block and was used for more than two centuries.
For more than two centuries it was Turin's place for shows. It was born under Augustus, together with the city, in one of the most well-off districts: a simple building of about 61 by 47 meters, near the walls, with a semicircular cavea and a backdrop with three monumental doors through which the actors entered.
With the peace and prosperity between AD 70 and 90 it was remodeled. Tiers and a curved façade were added, and the theater reached a capacity of three thousand. It was still one of the smallest theaters of its kind, similar to that of Augusta Raurica, present-day Basel.
Visitors find the remains in two places: in the open air, next to the Cathedral, and in the underground part of the adjoining palace, home to the Museum of Antiquities. From the masonry cavea you can still read the shape of the theater, with its semicircular seating.
Among the details to look for are the twelve little pits where the posts of the curtain mechanisms were fixed, the intervallum, the walkway that ran between the walls and the buildings, and the traces of the porticoes behind the stage, where spectators strolled during the intervals.
The audience was divided by wealth: the best seats were in the masonry cavea, while those of lesser means had a wide upper gallery with comfortable stairs. To shelter from sun and rain there was perhaps a wooden roof with a canvas velarium.
There is also a mystery: some drainage channels found in the surroundings suggest the theater may even have hosted naumachiae, naval battles in miniature. It remains only a hypothesis.
Then Christianity banned the performances. At the end of the 4th century the abandoned theater became a quarry for the first cathedral, dedicated to Christ the Savior, and in the 16th century the remains were almost destroyed by the first French siege.
They were rediscovered in 1899, while digging for a new wing of the Royal Palace commissioned by Umberto I. The architect Alfredo d'Andrade opposed the demolition and had the project changed. So the remains were saved, and the restoration work ended in 1911.
Don't miss
• The tiers of the cavea.
• The twelve curtain pits.
• The intervallum along the walls.
Did you know?
• The theater came back to light by chance, during work on a wing of the Royal Palace.
• It took up an entire city block and was used for more than two centuries.