Teatro Massimo (Massimo Theater), Palermo (must see)
The Massimo Theater is an opera house and company located on Verdi Square. It is the biggest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe.
The Palermo Council initiated an international competition to design and build an opera house in 1864. The idea was to promote the status of a new unified Italy. Giovan Basile designed the theater. After he died in 1891, the work was taken over by his son, Ernesto Basile.
Basile was a fan of classical Sicilian architecture. He used a neoclassical theme borrowed from the old Greek temples of Agrigento. He also used a late-Renaissance style. The auditorium seats almost 1,400 people. It has seven tiers of box seating. The stage is inclined and the seating rises up from the stage in a general horseshoe shape.
In 1974 the theater was closed for renovations. Costs, corruption and politics kept it closed for 23 years. The opera season opened again in 1998. Corruption and politics continue to disrupt the functioning of the house but new management promises to keep it on track.
The Palermo Council initiated an international competition to design and build an opera house in 1864. The idea was to promote the status of a new unified Italy. Giovan Basile designed the theater. After he died in 1891, the work was taken over by his son, Ernesto Basile.
Basile was a fan of classical Sicilian architecture. He used a neoclassical theme borrowed from the old Greek temples of Agrigento. He also used a late-Renaissance style. The auditorium seats almost 1,400 people. It has seven tiers of box seating. The stage is inclined and the seating rises up from the stage in a general horseshoe shape.
In 1974 the theater was closed for renovations. Costs, corruption and politics kept it closed for 23 years. The opera season opened again in 1998. Corruption and politics continue to disrupt the functioning of the house but new management promises to keep it on track.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Palermo. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The GPSmyCity App
Teatro Massimo (Massimo Theater) on Map
Sight Name: Teatro Massimo (Massimo Theater)
Sight Location: Palermo, Italy (See walking tours in Palermo)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Palermo, Italy (See walking tours in Palermo)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Palermo, Italy
Create Your Own Walk in Palermo
Creating your own self-guided walk in Palermo 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.
Palermo Introduction Walking Tour
Around 8,000 BC, people called Sicani drew pictures in a cave outside Palermo. The scene shows a ritual sacrifice in the theatre. Was it a paleolithic foreshadowing of the temples, churches, and cathedrals to come?
The Sicani were succeeded by the Phoenicians. They made a settlement called Ziz which eventually became Palermo. But first, the Greeks, followed by the Carthaginians, followed by the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
The Sicani were succeeded by the Phoenicians. They made a settlement called Ziz which eventually became Palermo. But first, the Greeks, followed by the Carthaginians, followed by the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Historical Religious Buildings
Religion has always played an important role in the lives of the Italians – and the Sicilians are no exception. Thus, it is little wonder that the main city of the island, Palermo, boasts a plethora of religious buildings. The collection of historical churches found here ranges from the Arab-Norman-Byzantine to the Medieval, Gothic, Baroque and the Renaissance.
In the course of history, many... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
In the course of history, many... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Palaces of Palermo
For centuries, Sicilian capital Palermo has been a focal point for the construction of noble dwellings and palaces. The latter were and still are a fine manifestation of the historical life in the region. They are a few hundred of them still in place, ranging chronologically from the medieval period to the first decades of the 20th century, and comprising an impressive collection of architectural... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles