Akrai (Palazzolo Acreide)

AKRAI (Palazzolo Acreide), ancient Magna Graecia / Sicilia, modern Sicilia,  Italy.

COORDINATES: 37º03’27.27’’N // 14º53’40.77’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: Late III B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Roman stage and orchestra.

CAPACITY: 700 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north. 37,5 m. diameter. Semicircular cavea. Only one maeniana with 15 rows of seats in 9 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 19,2 m. diameter, paved in limestone in Roman times.

STAGE BUILDING: Pulpitum is 13,7 x 2,6 m. Roman stage 1,2 m. high, with curved niches. Evidence of thyromata.

LOCATION: The theatre is next to the bouleuterion. Ancient Akrai is west of Palazzolo Acreide, 50 klm. west from Syracuse.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988 // Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // 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:
“Where are my bay-leaves?
Come, Thestylis; where are my love-charms?
Come crown me the bowl with the crimson flower o’ wool”
     -Theocritus of Syracuse-

Heloros (Eloro)

HELOROS (Eloro), ancient Magna Grecia / Sicilia. modern Italy.

COORDENATES: 36º50’28.05’’N // 15º06’20.93’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: IV B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 1.200 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. 45 m. diameter. Built against hillside. It had 15 rows of seats (11 are visible) in 5 cunei (there are only remains of three). Cavea exceeds semicircle.

ORCHESTRA: 15 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING:

LOCATION: Theatre is south of the city, close to the stream. Eloro is 2 klm. south from Lido di Noto, about 40 klm. south from Siracusa.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988. // 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: The ancient theatre of Heloros is close to the beach... the morning I visited Heloros I wished to have my plastic rake, bucket and shovel to dig it.

Segesta (Segesta)

 SEGESTA (Segesta), ancient Magna Graecia, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 37º56’27.86’’N // 12º50’37.89’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek siceliot theatre.

DATE: End of IV B.C. or half III B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Proscaenium rebuilt in II B.C. Roman reformations.

CAPACITY: 3.200 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. 64 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea with 21 rows of seats in 7 cunei. It is not well known the number of exact rows of seats and cunei from summa cavea. The analemmata converges with the scene building.

ORCHESTRA: 14,8 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: Stage building was 17,7 x 6,1 m. Parascaenia was 4,9 x 9,3 m. Proscaenium with 17,7 x 3,4 m. and 3,3 m. high.

LOCATION: Ancient Segesta is 35 klm. east from Trapani, 65 klm. sout-west drom Palermo.

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. // 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: In the ancient settlement of Segesta you can find an impressive ancient temple and the marvelous ancient theatre. The theatre is up in a hill, the temple is 700 m. down. I would like to have known ancient Segesta people, for a simple way they knew how to honor Gods, built the theatre in the higher place, displacing the temple, knowing perfectly what kind of ritual Gods wanted, the ritual of ancient drama.

Tyndaris (Tindari)

TYNDARIS (Tindari), ancient Magna Graecia, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 38.08’37.78’’N // 15º02’32.79’’E
TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: End IV or first III B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Orchestra and low part of the cavea transformed in Roman times for amphitheatre games.
CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing north-east. Built against hillside. 76 m. diameter. Maenianum. it is not know the exact number of rows of seat but it was about 40, it has 11 cunei and an upper ambulacrum.
ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter in Greek times. In Roman times five rows of seat were removed for building the arena.
STAGE BUILDING: The stage had 2,8 m. high. The scene building had two storey. Bernabò Brea drew some plans where there are a reconstruction of the Scvaenae Frons, you can see them in the museum in the site.
LOCATION: Close to the Tindari´s Christian sanctuary. Tindari is 50 klm. west from Messina.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: “Teatri antichi nell’area del Mediterraneo”. Palermo, I Quaderni di Palazzo Montalbo, 2004. // 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. // Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988.// Neppi Modona, Aldo. “Gli edificio teatrali greci e romani”. Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, 1961. // 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: In Tyndaris, when you leave the ancient theatre and reach the seaside you go into a spit of sand, as if the earth was entering the sea. it is possible to observe, with not so much imagination, between the sand and the waves, the echoes remnats of a broken civilization, bathed in salt. Immerse yourself un the Tyrrhenian sea, put the head out and brethe the coast of Italy in the distance, punctuated by the silhouette of Lipari... breathe the crowded silence of the past.

Iaitas (Monte Iato)

IAITAS (Monte Iato), ancient Sicilia / Magna Graecia, modern Italia.

COORDINATES: 37º58’03.68” N // 13º11’52.47” E

TIPOLOGY : Greek Siceliot theatre. Urban.

DATE: Last IV B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: II B.C. new stage building. I B.C. roof in stage building.

CAPACITY: 4.400 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing South. 68 m. diameter, bigger than semicircle. Maenianum: Ima cavea, 15 rows of seats in 7 cunei; Summa cavea: 22 rows in 7 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 14,8 m. diameter (21,8 m. including proedria -3 steps-)

STAGE BUILDING: First stage 11,5 x 3 m. Later 12,7 x 6,75 m. Stage building was 23 x 3,25, two story and three doors.

LOCATION: Theatre is 825 m. high, in Monte Iato, near San Giuseppe Jato village.

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. // Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988. // 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: Iatas ancient theatre seems to be a slate theatre, a crumbling building, an eternal debris, a wayward pebble beach formed by an invisible air wave. I discovered it in the mist, among timid rays of sun that were praying , I discovered it like a revealed mystery, after climbing to the ancient Iaitas city.