Ferentinum (Ferentino)

FERENTINUM (Ferentino), ancient Regio I –Latium-, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 41º41’26.15’’N // 13º15’12.90’’E

TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: First II A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY: 
CAVEA: Facing south-west. 54 m. diameter. There are some remains from east part of the cavea. It was built in a hillside although summa was supported on radial walls. Modern buildings cover the remains. Ima and Summa had four cunei.
ORCHESTRA: 16 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: In Scaenae Frons the regia was in a curved niche, while hospitalia was in rectangular niches. Pulpitum was 30 x 6,5 m.
LOCATION: The ancient theatre is close to porta Sanguinaria, in modern Ferentinum, 65 klm. South-east of Rome.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // Courtois, Catherine; “Le bâtiment de scène des théâtres d’Italie et de Sicile”. Providence, Louvain-la.Neuve, 1989. // Maggi, Stefano; Troso, Cristina. “Guida all’Italia archeologica”. Casale Monferrato, Piemme, 2007. // Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); “Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato”. Rome: SEAT, 1995.

OUT OF PRINT: I arrived Ferentino when the evening summer shadows started to gobble the theatre remains; it was like if the evening deploy a sheet in the stones. I would like to have gone into some of the houses that were built over the upper part of the theatre, to watch from some window another perspective of the theatre; I did not dare to call any ring, I did not try it... that is surprise because in ancient theatre questions I am able of arriving the moon... anyway, if I return some day to Italy I will back to Ferentino, I will go into some house, I will ring, for looking to the theatre... and I will try that will be early in the morning, for removing the sheets of the night to the theatre for giving it good morning.