Theatre Traiano

The local Theater Traiano of Civitavecchia was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, after the visit of Pope Gregory XVI with the aim to substitute the old Theatre Minozzi. Designed by the architect Antonio De Rossi, it was named in honor of emperor Trajan, founder of the city.

The Theatre is located in Corso Centocelle in front of the eighteenth-century building Palazzo della Finanza close to the Archeological Museum. If you are nearby the museum, to get to the theatre you will only have to cross Largo Monsignore Giacomo d’Ardia and within walking distance you will find yourself in a pleasant pedestrian area, surrounded by shop windows and bars.

The 29th May 1999, Theatre Traiano was finally reopened after over twenty years of inactivity

THEATRE TRAIANO: A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

The original horseshoe-shape of the theatre was typical in that period, with a wide stalls area, four kinds of boxes, each of them containing twenty-three and big gods, dominating it from above. 

There were three entries: the first, to enter the room, the second for the box office and the third, to enter the refreshment area.

Theatre Traiano was supplied with a wonderful curtain that got lost unfortunately after the war. The curtain had been painted in oil by the painter from Ancona Vincenzo Podesti, brother of the most known Francesco Podesti, member of the Accademy of St. Luca. As far as can be possibly deduced from the only picture left, the curtain didn't open with a system of double division, folding on the sides of the stage, but it was probably raised upwards: it was the typical guillotine or german-style curtain.

From an artistic point of view, instead, it recalled the tradition of historic painting that over the nineteenth century presented theatre curtains describing particular episodes related to the history of the city to which they belonged: the curtain of Theatre Traiano represented, actually, the sacrifice that, according to legend, emperor Trajan had offered to Neptune during the construction of the port of Centumcellae.

The inauguration of Theatre Traiano took place in May 1844 with the opening of Donizetti's lyric opera Eustogia da Romano.

The 14th May 1943, the city of Civitavecchia was bombed by American air forces. The theatre was almost completely destroyed; only the façade and the adjoining locals were preserved, the rest was rebuilt in a completely different way, with a small gallery and a room that could host 1074 spectators. Inaugurated again in 1948, the Theatre lost its original role, to be used as well as a cinema, until it was closed for restoration works in 1978.

THE NEW THEATRE TRAIANO

The 29th May 1999, the local theatre Traiano was finally reopened after over twenty years of inactivity. The theatre and the neoclassical façade were completely restored and modernized and it is nowadays constitued by a rectangular room, provided with a wide stalls area, a wide and low gallery and two lateral gods.

The theatre capacity today is 638 seats, of which 384 in the stalls area, 206 in the gallery and 48 in the lateral gods.

Theatre Traiano boasts of a rich playbill full of events and shows, from dance to lyric, from comedy to musical, always hosting relevant personalities, both national and international. 

The theatre capacity today is 638 seats, of which 384 in the stalls area, 206 in the gallery and 48 in the lateral gods.