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Teatro Flavio Vespasiano

The Teatro Flavio Vespasiano is the main theatre and opera house in Rieti. It was opened on 20 September 1893, after ten years of work and finishing touches; directed by architect Achille Sfondrini. It takes its name from the Roman emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian who was born in Sabina.

History
Precursors The first information about the presence of a theatre in Rieti dates to the 15th - 16th centuries, with confraternities organizing plays in main city squares. At the end of the 1500s, the need to organize plays in closed and sheltered settings lead to ''Teatro dell'Accademia del Tizzone'', located in via Terenzio Varrone, in a former hospital. The building was erected quickly and was completed in 1885. Works completed the same year, with the theatre opening on 20 September 1893 Due to low inflow, it was used as a movie theatre during the post-war. For this reason, both naming and internal works' themes were questioned. The anti-fascist city mayor Angelo Sacchetti Sassetti demanded the theatre be named after Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni and the hiding of both dome and curtain. Nevertheless, the city hall council rejected his demands as well as his resignation. Eventually, Sacchetti Sassetti himself changed his mind. More works, financed by regione Lazio in 2016, will allow the recovery of sala degli specchi and sites where circolo di lettura was located. Such work did not start yet. == Description ==
Description
Exterior From the outside, the theatre looks hidden by surrounding buildings. Because of that, it is impossible to contemplate it in its entirety. For the exterior, Sfondrini used Teatro Costanzi as a model. Also there is a tempera painting depicting the muses, made in 1916 by Antonino Calcagnadoro. Other decorations are made by Giuseppe Casa. ;Circolo di Lettura e Sala degli Specchi Among other places, the theatre contains the Circolo di lettura, consisting of a set of finely decorated rooms designed for balls and concerts. The main room is Sala degli Specchi, a room furnished with huge mirrors (, hence the name) on the walls, and an allegoric painting by Giulio Rolland named Le ebbrezze della Musica. ;Main room The main room is composed of a stall including 230 red seats, split in two by a central aisle. After the 2005 restoration, the room regained its cream tone. On the perimeter, there are three orders of loges, for a total of 72 loges: 24 per floor. The gods are on top of the loges, while the stage is in front of them. On the loges' second order is the , decorated on the ceiling with an oval tempera painting by Giuseppe Casa depicting three putti, while the balcony is decorated with stucco low relief depicting Giuseppe Verdi. The balconies in the second and third order, as well as the ones in the gods, are decorated with putti and stuccos depicting musicians with their names written right below. Originally, the gods was meant to host more than one hundred people; nowadays, because of security measures, it can host up to thirty-three people. A big dome overlooks the whole space. The dome is adorned with a rich chandelier and frescoed in 1901 with a tempera painting by Giulio Rolland. The fresco celebrates the triumph of Titus and Flavius in Rome after the victory in Jerusalem. The stage is enclosed by a front curtain on which in 1910 Antonino Calcagnadoro painted the surrender of Jerusalem over Vespasian after the siege of Jerusalem. The painting is made with tempera on canvas with a size of 13.4m x 7.6m. The curtain was long forgotten until, in 2019, it has been restored by Accademia di Belle Arti dell'Aquila and was newly exhibited to the audience. In front of the stage, it is located the orchestra pit. == Acoustics ==
Acoustics
The theatre is well known for its great acoustic. Thanks to this feature, in 2002 it won official recognition; when Uto Ughi assigned the first edition of the national award for acoustic to the theatre. Professor Bruno Cagli president of Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia, defined the theatre as the best in the world from an acoustic standpoint. == The Foundation ==
The Foundation
Along with the theatre reopening, it was established the Flavio Vespasiano Foundation. The main goal of the foundation is to promote artistic and musical ventures internationally. Privates can support the foundation through donations, getting in exchange a position within the board of directors. During the opening ceremony, the presidency has been offered to the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council Gianni Letta, who accepted the role. ==References==
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