Description of the attraction
Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house in Catania, named after the native of the city, the great composer Vincenzo Bellini.
At the beginning of the 18th century, talks began about the construction of a theater in Catania - then the city barely began to recover after the terrible earthquake of 1693, which destroyed most of its buildings. However, the final decision on the construction was made only a hundred years later, in 1812. The architect was Salvatore Zara Buda, who chose a location for the new theater in Piazza Nuovaluce, near the monastery of Santa Maria di Nuovaluce. He planned to erect a truly grandiose building, which was to become one of the most luxurious in Italy. But due to unexpected funding problems, the project had to be "frozen" - instead of a pompous stage, a small municipal theater was built in the same place in 1822, which was destroyed during the Second World War.
In 1870, the authorities of Catania remembered the grandiose plans of the architect Buda and decided to bring them to life. The search began for a new site for the construction of the theater, and soon work under the direction of the architect Carlo Sada began. True, they also continued with interruptions and interruptions due to lack of funding. Only on May 31, 1890, the grand opening of the theater took place, on the stage of which Bellini's "Norma" was given that evening.
The theater building is in harmony with the neighboring houses built in the late 17th century in the Sicilian Baroque style. The auditorium can accommodate up to 1200 people, which can be accommodated on 4 tiers of loggias. The luxuriously decorated foyer is made of marble, and the central arch features a statue of the renowned composer Vincenzo Bellini. The ceiling of the main hall, painted with scenes from four of his most famous operas, made an indelible impression on the audience both at the end of the 19th century and today.
For more than a century of the theater's existence, all of Bellini's operas have been staged on its stage. In 1951, 1952 and 1953 the great Maria Callas played the role of Norma. And in 2001, for the 200th anniversary of Bellini, the theater was overhauled, which cost about $ 2 million.
