Teatro Sociale (Social Theater), Como
The Social Theater of Como has been setting the stage for culture since 1813, when the city鈥檚 nobility decided the old playhouse of 1765 had outlived its sparkle. They picked the site of the ruined medieval Round Tower, handed the project to architect Giuseppe Cusi, and鈥攖here you go鈥攁 neoclassical gem rose, its fa莽ade tipping a respectful nod to Milan鈥檚 La Scala theater. The curtain went up with the opera Adriano in Siria, and Como had its new cultural centerpiece.
From there, the theater grew in ambition and in size. By 1854, new boxes were squeezed in, bringing the count to 98, though even that wasn鈥檛 enough. By the early 1900s, the audience had outgrown the house again, a testament to Como鈥檚 appetite for art. But the theater never lost its pull: Paganini electrified audiences here with his violin skills in 1823, Liszt piano dazzled in 1837, and generations of music lovers followed suit. Step inside, and the symphony begins before the first note: a cello-shaped auditorium dressed in red velvet, a ceiling adorned with muses descending from Olympus, and a stage curtain showing the fiery death of Pliny the Elder 鈥� only for him to get brought back to life on the nearby cathedral.
And then there鈥檚 the Arena, the open-air stage that roared back to life in 2013 with Carmina Burana after decades of silence. Today, the theater keeps its double life: heritage on the outside, living art on the inside. Its program swings from opera and classical concerts to contemporary dance and family shows, and every July the Como City of Music Festival takes over the streets, turning the whole town into a stage.
For those who step inside, it offers not only ornate d茅cor but also a living pulse of creativity that has kept audiences returning for over two hundred years.
From there, the theater grew in ambition and in size. By 1854, new boxes were squeezed in, bringing the count to 98, though even that wasn鈥檛 enough. By the early 1900s, the audience had outgrown the house again, a testament to Como鈥檚 appetite for art. But the theater never lost its pull: Paganini electrified audiences here with his violin skills in 1823, Liszt piano dazzled in 1837, and generations of music lovers followed suit. Step inside, and the symphony begins before the first note: a cello-shaped auditorium dressed in red velvet, a ceiling adorned with muses descending from Olympus, and a stage curtain showing the fiery death of Pliny the Elder 鈥� only for him to get brought back to life on the nearby cathedral.
And then there鈥檚 the Arena, the open-air stage that roared back to life in 2013 with Carmina Burana after decades of silence. Today, the theater keeps its double life: heritage on the outside, living art on the inside. Its program swings from opera and classical concerts to contemporary dance and family shows, and every July the Como City of Music Festival takes over the streets, turning the whole town into a stage.
For those who step inside, it offers not only ornate d茅cor but also a living pulse of creativity that has kept audiences returning for over two hundred years.
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Teatro Sociale (Social Theater) on Map
Sight Name: Teatro Sociale (Social Theater)
Sight Location: Como, Italy (See walking tours in Como)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Como, Italy (See walking tours in Como)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Como, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Como
Creating your own self-guided walk in Como is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Como Introduction Walking Tour
The Roman writer Pliny the Younger once wrote to his friend, 鈥淲hat is the news from Como, mine and your delight?鈥� Como is a place of palaces, churches, gardens, temples, museums, and parks. Its nearness to the spectacular Lake Como and the Swiss and Italian Alps has made the area a traveler鈥檚 delight from the time of Pliny the Younger to the present day.
Pliny wasn鈥檛 its first fan,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Pliny wasn鈥檛 its first fan,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Como Lakeshore Walking Tour
English novelist Mary Shelley declared visitors to Italy are in danger of becoming: "enjoyers of the beauties of nature, the elegance of art, the delights of climate, the recollections of the past, and the pleasures of society." All this she found on the shores of Lake Como. From Roman writer Pliny the Younger onward, visitors and natives of Como would have agreed.
The alpine lake is... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
The alpine lake is... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles