Teatro Serpente Aureo

Offida

General

The nominated property includes the blocks lining Piazza del Popolo and those near the Teatro Serpente Aureo. Housed inside Palazzo Comunale (town hall) in Piazza del Popolo, the main square in Offida, this public theatre has preserved its original appearance.

The nominated property includes the blocks lining Piazza del Popolo and those near the Teatro Serpente Aureo. Housed inside Palazzo Comunale (town hall) in Piazza del Popolo, the main square in Offida, this public theatre has preserved its original appearance. The town hall building presents architectural features from different eras. This brick construction has a 14th-century tower crowned with dove-tailed merlons. The Teatro Serpente Aureo is located at the rear of the building. Also in the square is the Collegiate Church built at the end of the 18th century. The square and its historic architecture and buildings is the beating heart of Offida, a place where past and present coexist in harmony.

The Teatro Serpente Aureo in Offida preserves two of the original curtains, which are of great historical value. The first curtain shows the legend of the mythical Golden Serpent (serpente aureo). The second shows an idyllic scene with four Muses. The theatre uses both manual rigging with ropes and motorised rigging, providing flexible, dynamic control of the stage equipment during performances.

The Teatro Serpente Aureo in Offida offers a calendar of theatrical performances, educational activities and theatre workshops, opera, concerts, a children’s theatre season, amateur theatre festivals, conferences and other cultural events. The theatre collaborates with several local cultural associations, including Corpo Bandistico Città di Offida (civic band), Istituzione Musicale Sieber and the Pro Loco (local heritage association), which enrich its cultural offer. Courses organised for schools contribute to the education of young people. The Teatro Serpente Aureo is open to visitors every day in summer. In winter, guided tours are available at weekends and on public holidays.

Historical Context

Age of the Bourgeois Revolutions (1789–1848)

Design and Inauguration dates

1801–1820

Pietro Antonio Maggi (1756–1817)

Owned by

Municipality of Offida

Capacity

360

Continuity of use/Activity

250 days open/year
50 performance days
20 days of community cultural activities
180 days open to tourists

Artists

Giovanni Battista Bernardi (decorations), Alcide Allevi (ceiling), Giovanni Picca and Giovanni Antonio Magini (curtains)

Location

Offida

Ascoli.Piceno
,
Marche

Population in

1861

4.622 inhabitants

Current Population

4.607 inhabitants

Teatro Serpente Aureo
Town hall
Chiesa dell’Addolorata
Chiesa del Suffragio
Collegiate Church

Plan

Horseshoe

Building
Auditorium

Building

Façade

The theatre does not have its own façade, as it was built in the courtyard of Palazzo dei Priori, a monumental edifice constructed in several stages between the 13th and 14th centuries, with the exception of the arcaded passageway and the loggia above it, which were installed in the 15th century. The entrance to the theatre is therefore via the imposing arcade on the north-east side of Piazza del Popolo in the centre of town. The only external sign of the theatre is on the north side of the square in Largo della Musica, where four rows of windows look out, one for each tier of boxes.

Layout of Interior Spaces

The arcade of Palazzo dei Priori leads to the neoclassical entrance hall, with stucco decorations, statues in niches and a coffered ceiling. The ridotto room is on the ground floor next to the entrance hall.

Auditorium

Vertical Arrangement

Three tiers of boxes and a gallery.

Plafond

Shallow sail vault with paintings by Alcide Allevi. In the centre appears Apollo on Mount Parnassus with a lyre, surrounded by three Muses (Music, Tragedy, Comedy), and a small cupid at their feet. Around them are eight medallions representing important authors of opera and drama: Pergolesi, Spontini, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Alfieri, Goldoni, Metastasio. Angels and garlands are depicted in the fascia and in the centre there is an ornate chandelier with crystal globes.

Decorative Elements

The auditorium has the typical stylistic elegance of the 18th century. The parapets have allegorical and floral decorations in white and gold stucco on a green background.