Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

Almost at the end of the climb, we find Largo del Teatro, or “Theater Street”, in front of the entrance to the Teatro La Fenice.
In Amandola, theatrical representation has been documented since the 15th century.  The earliest documentation concerns performances of sacred texts, especially the Passion and death of Christ, or the lives of saints.  The performance of secular theater started near La Fenice which, after 1500, led to the creation of the first theater company here. In Amandola, until the end of the 18th century, the assembly rooms of the ancient palazzo comunale were used for performances in Amandola
In that century, the pre-existing structure was renovated several times which led to the creation of three orders of balconies. The current renovation occurred in about 1820, and was consistent with the style of the Teatro dell’Aquila of Fermo and other historical theaters of Le Marche. The floorplan is U-shaped and entirely occupies the interior space of the original palazzo comunale. Working in several phases, 32 balconies were built in three orders: 10 balconies in the first order, and 11 in the second and third orders. The highest part is an open loggia without reserved seating.
The ceiling decoration represents the muses of Comedy and Music, which support the town crest and a plaque with the motto: “Castigat ridendo mores”, which means, “Making fun of habits corrects them”, and is the work of the French poet Jean de Santeuil. The central figure, with a torch in hand,  represents the genius of Music.
In the course of the 20th century, the theater housed the Allied troops as they moved up the peninsula of Italy during the second World War, before becoming a movie theater.  Closed at the end of the 1960’s, it was eventually restored with the financial aid of the Marche Region, the Province of Ascoli Piceno and the Foundation of the Savings Bank of Ascoli Piceno.  In 2001, the theater was reopened and today it is the center of theatrical activities of the town of Amandola.

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