Teatro Bramante

Urbania

General

The nominated property includes the urban blocks around the Teatro Bramante and those in Piazza San Cristoforo and Piazza Martiri della Libertà. In addition to the theatre, the most significant buildings are the Ducal Palace and the Cathedral of San Cristoforo Martire.

The nominated property includes the urban blocks around the Teatro Bramante and those in Piazza San Cristoforo and Piazza Martiri della Libertà. In addition to the theatre, the most significant buildings are the Ducal Palace and the Cathedral of San Cristoforo Martire.

The Teatro Bramante is a public building located on a standalone plot in the market square, known today as Piazza San Cristoforo and formerly the site of public granaries. The all-brick construction measures 40 metres by 20 metres. The area below the stage retains the mechanisms for moving wooden scenery, which are still in working order. The theatre employs a manual rope rigging system, which requires coordination and precision to ensure fluidity and synchronisation during performances.

The stage equipment is the work of Romolo Liverani of Faenza and his son Tancredi. The iconographic components that have been preserved are: the house curtain representing Porta Superiore in Urbania, now Piazza San Cristoforo, where the Teatro Bramante stands; and two backdrops of the “Forest” and the “Camera Nobile” or “Mansion” with their respective flats.

The Teatro Bramante is a very active and lively cultural centre with a rich offer of activities. The theatre season is organised in collaboration with AMAT – Associazione Marchigiana Attività Teatrali and with the “Andar per Fiabe” theatre project for children and families. In addition, the theatre collaborates with several theatre and music associations in the town and the local area, including the Palchettone urban theatre group, which has been a major presence on the local theatre scene for over 40 years. The Teatro Bramante is a venue for recitals and educational activities organised for schools. It partners with the University of Urbino on the “Teatri delle Diversità” (Theatres of Diversity) project, with activities in prisons and in socially challenged communities. The theatre plays a key role in the local community, expanding its artistic offering and creating opportunities for cultural exchange through international collaborations, including with the theatre of the Palace of Versailles and the University of Bern.

Historical Context

Period of the rise of the nation-state (1848–1875)

Design and Inauguration dates

1857–1864

Ercole Salmi, a student of Vincenzo Ghinelli

Owned by

Municipality of Urbania and shareholders

Capacity

333

Continuity of use/Activity

150 days open/year
110 days of theatrical activities
40 days of community cultural activities

Artists

Romolo and Tancredi Liverani (scenography, curtain), Pietro Gai (stucco decoration), Lancisi da Verucchio (painting)

Location

Urbania

Pesaro and Urbino
,
Marche

Population in

1861

4,701 inhabitants

Current Population

6,898 inhabitants

Teatro Bramante
Palazzo Ducale
Museo di Storia dell’Agricoltura e dell’Artigianato
Spirito Santo Church
Co-cathedral of San Cristoforo Martire
Museo Diocesano

Plan

Horseshoe

Building
Auditorium

Building

Façade

The late neoclassical façade is of two storeys separated by a string-course cornice. Vertically, it is divided into three sections. The middle section projects slightly and is highlighted with a double order of half-columns, Doric on the ground floor and Ionic on the upper floor, between which are frameless doors and windows. The fair-faced brick façade is enriched by stone capitals and architraves.

Layout of Interior Spaces

At the entrance to the theatre, the foyer has two symmetrical spaces on either side for the bar and the box office. These areas lead to the spaces behind the boxes, which can also be reached from the stalls via two doors located at the sides of the stage. The structure of the Gassman ridotto behind the third tier of boxes is similar to that of the foyer, with a large central room flanked by two smaller spaces. The interior layout clearly reflects the same division into three sections and the symmetry of the façade.

Auditorium

Vertical Arrangement

Three tiers of boxes and an open gallery

Plafond

Flat camorcanna ceiling, supported by the perimeter wall. The four large tondi in the vault show allegories of the four elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire) and are the work of Lancisi da Verucchio (later repainted by Americo Ludovici).

Decorative Elements

In the auditorium, the panelled parapet of the second tier presents a series of medallions painted with effigies of famous people from the Marche region. The last tondo contains an image of Giuseppe Verdi, who represents music, but also the ideals of freedom and independence, prominent in the collective consciousness of Italians at the time. The medallions are surrounded by gilded stucco decorations by Pietro Gai of Pesaro.