After the Unification of Italy, the dream and need for a municipal theatre in Nardò became increasingly felt, just as many were taking shape in other cities of the new Italy. A place was needed that could simultaneously perform the function of “evening recreation” and “relief from the many civil cares”, according to the statements made by the architect Gregorio Nardò in 1872 in his introductory report on the project for the new Theatre. However, the Prefecture rejected the project that wanted the Theatre in Piazza Salandra, next to the church of San Trifone. The enthusiasm finally seemed to die down and instead smouldered under the ashes for twenty long years.
It is February 18, 1892 when, in Nardò, the City Council is called to an extraordinary session. The mayor Benedetto Vetere presides over it, and he gathers the assembly for a single point of the day: the construction of a municipal theater. With 15 votes in favor and only one vote against and with a spending commitment of 42,574 lire, the theater is in the hands of the designer, the engineer Quintino Tarantino, who thinks of it and builds it in the heart of the city, just as it had long had its place in the hearts of the citizens, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. 1909 is the year of the inauguration with “Mefistofele”, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito. It is the first of a long series of successes that will see Calindri, Placido, Raf Vallone leave to applause. Then, in 1994, the forced closure, since the structure no longer complies with the current safety regulations.
On March 9, 2006, Nardò smiles again. After a major restoration project that lasted about two years, the citizens are given back a brand new theater, with the promise of returning it to its former glory soon. In fact, on the opening night, Carla Fracci, Franco Battiato, Francesco Libetta, Cosimo Manicone, Salvatore Cordella perform, amid the evocative choreography of Franzutti.
Today the Teatro Comunale di Nardò, a true neoclassical jewel of public architecture in Salento, can be admired in all its original beauty. The interior, a miniature of a large Italian theatre, features the typical “horseshoe” hall and is divided into three tiers of boxes with a gallery, for a total capacity of almost 200 seats. Since 2008 it has been the home of a real theatre company, TerramMare Teatro, and one of the Apulian Theatre Residences, thanks to the continuous and fruitful collaboration of the City of Nardò with the Teatro Pubblico Pugliese, the Puglia Region, the Ministry of Cultural Activities and the European Community.
Orecchiette Pasta
Classic Taste Taralli EVO
Leave a comment