Teatro Quirino

History

The theater was built in 1871 at the behest of Prince Maffeo Barberini Colonna di Sciarra, who decided to entrust the project to the architect Giulio De Angelis, assisted by his colleague Francesco Marra (or Morra). The place chosen was inside the Sciarra Colonna palace, owned by the prince, with the main entrance from Via del Corso and extended up to the Trevi fountain. Taking advantage of the loss of the city by the Papal State, the organization of theatrical performances was no longer subject to any kind of limitation: Prince Maffeo thought of building a public theater building, in order to start a profitable business.

Conceived entirely of wood, it was erected in a single day. There were mainly represented operettas, however addressed to an audience of the middle bourgeois class. The name of the theater, Quirino, recalled the toponymy and mythology of Rome, linking itself to the name of the hill (the Quirinal) and to the god Quirinus.

Due to the need to create a communication artery between via del Corso and the Trevi fountain, in 1882 it was necessary to dismantle the wooden structure and to rebuild the theater in masonry a few meters away from the original location: the project, again entrusted to De Angelis, he donated a horseshoe-shaped hall and two tiers of boxes to the theater: the structure was metal, adorned with neoclassical cast iron columns. In 1898, upon completion of the works, the interiors of the theater were richly decorated with drapes, velvets and gilded stuccos, creating an elegant and cozy atmosphere. The production changed, bringing opera and ballet inside the Quirino. …

Events and representations

Among the most famous conductors of the 19th century who conducted at the Quirino Theater, there is M ° Antonino Palminteri, present on the podium in June 1899, staging works such as: I Lombardi by Giuseppe Verdi, Manon Lescaut, by Giacomo Puccini. The results of the performances were excellent and highly appreciated.