ItalianoEven before Rome became the capital city of the Kingdom of Italy, the first stone of the Opera House was laid, in an area of the city that was still quite isolated. The construction of railways and of the large architectural work of the theatre near the new train station highly contributed to turn the area into one of the most vibrant districts of the city, as it is today.
The businessman Domenico Costanzi was driven by quite a bit of foolishness when he decided to finance the works by himself, ordering the construction of a stunning Neo-Reinassance Opera House. Costanzi soon realized that the project would be much more expensive than expected, as his friends and fellow businessmen had warned him. Despite this, he did not give up and preferred selling his beautiful house in a respectable palace rather than renouncing his dream of giving Rome a Opera House, which the city still lacked at that time.
Rome is now immensely grateful to him, since the Costanzi Theatre has hosted the greatest masters of Opera in Rome. One of the most famous among them was Pietro Mascagni, who attended the Rome Opera Theatre assiduously and premiered there his famous Cavalleria rusticana in 1890. Later on, Mascagni became the Rome Opera House Artistic Director in 1909.
Another memorable performance was Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, directed by Giulini in 1964, in the years when Rome was not only the capital city of Italy, but also the capital city of the Dolce Vita, the period of fervour when Italy rediscovered an unstoppable enthusiasm for art and everything that ‘makes life sweeter’. The Rome Opera Theatre still entertains the local and international audience. Additionally, when summer breeze enlivens the atmosphere, the whole theatre moves to the Baths of Caracalla, an extremely ancient venue that comes back to life under the Roman sky to fill us with new emotions.