Teatro Olimpico
Theatre
Magnificent interior
Teatro Olimpico
Europe’s oldest indoor theatre
At the end of the Corso Andrea Palladio is the Teatro Olimpico. From the outside it looks almost insignificant, but it is undoubtedly an important European monument. It is the oldest indoor theatre in Europe and since the late Roman period probably the first modern free-standing theatre. Of course it is, like so many of the magnificent buildings of Palladio in Vicenza, a work by the master himself. It was also his last work, which he wasn’t able to finish and it was therefore finished by his pupil Scamozzi. The grand auditorium gradually rises up in a semicircle around the stage and was modelled after ancient Greek theatres. The viewer gets the impression of great depth through the theatre’s clever design with the presentation of the seven streets of Thebes and three gates. It was opened on March 3rd 1585 with the play "Oedipus" by Sophocles.
Entrance
Admission: free with Biglietto Unico
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