Teatro Farnese, theatre
On the first floor of the Palazzo della Pilotta lies the beautiful Teatro Farnese, built in 1618 by the architect Giovanni Battista Aleotti (1546-1636). Famous before it even opened, the new theater mesmerized 17th century aristocratic Europe on opening night in 1628 with a six-hour performance of 'Mercury and Mars' with the music of Monteverdi. It was used only nine times in the next 104 years. After a performance in 1732, the theater was left to decay until 1913, when it was reopened for the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Verdi's birth. A bomb destroyed it during WWII and restoration work was completed in 1962, but not to the original colors and the original trompe l'oeuil effect was lost.
