Description
A short walk from Piazza Alfieri and Piazza San Secondo stands the Teatro Vittorio Alfieri, the foremost symbol of Asti’s vibrant cultural life.
The theatre was built between 1858 and 1860 at the initiative of ninety-seven private shareholders, led by the banker Zaccaria Ottolenghi. To fund and oversee its construction, Ottolenghi established a company, which he also chaired.
Designed by the engineer Domenico Svanascini, the building combined elegant architectural lines with highly functional structures and stage machinery. When the theatre opened on 6 October 1860, only two years after construction had begun, it contained 103 boxes arranged over four tiers and could accommodate more than two thousand spectators.
Among the artists commissioned to decorate the interior was Francesco Gonin, who painted both the stage curtain and the auditorium ceiling.
In the early twentieth century, the engineer Antonio Vandone radically redesigned the theatre in accordance with Wagnerian principles. He believed that the new arrangement of the boxes would improve the building’s acoustics. The addition of an orchestra pit — the so-called “mystic gulf” — was also intended to enhance the sound.
As part of the alterations, the highest tier of boxes was removed to create a spacious gallery, while the foyer was enlarged. In 1912, following damage caused by water infiltration, the ceiling fresco was repainted by the Asti artists Musso, Laretto and Arri.
In 1940, ownership of the theatre passed from the Società Anonima to the Municipality of Asti, which has also been responsible for its artistic programme since 1976.
The theatre was closed for safety reasons in 1979. After an extensive restoration project, completed in 2002, it was finally returned to its former splendour.
Today, with internationally acclaimed theatre and music seasons, the Teatro Alfieri remains one of Piedmont’s leading cultural institutions.