Beneventum (Benevento)

BENVENTUM (Benevento), ancient Regio II –Apulia and Calabria-, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 41º07’50.50” // 14º46’18.72” E

TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: II A.D. (126 A.D.)

TRANSFORMATIONS: In XX century the auditorium has been restored.

CAPACITY: 10.000 spectators (in ancient times).

CAVEA: Facing north-west. 90 m.diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea: 15 rows of seats in 6 cunei; Media cavea had 11 rows; Summa cavea probably had 8 rows of seats.

ORCHESTRA: 26 m. diameter, including subsellia and passage.

STAGE BUILDING: Pulpitum had 44 x 9,8 m. Scaena frons had three doors  -central square niche very big- and columnatio was in corinthian order.

LOCATION: Theatre is in the center of modern Benevento, 60 klm. From Napoli.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // “Teatri antichi nell’area del Mediterraneo”. Palermo, I Quaderni di Palazzo Montalbo, 2004. // Neppi Modona, Aldo. “Gli edificio teatrali greci e romani”. Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, 1961.

OUT OF PRINT: Usually cities have some redoubt, some place that seems to be outside city rithm. That kind of places seem to be like an air bubble, sometimes they are buildings, squares or simply a street corner. if you go through that kind of places the city start to dissolve it, inmersed in a parenthesis, as if time had stopped and you enter in a new dimension in which all have the right weight. That´s Benevento´s ancient theatre, an air bubble waiting to be breath.

Pollentia (Alcudia)

POLLENTIA (Alcudia), ancient Hispania Tarraconensis, modern Spain.

COORDINATES: 39º50’50.54” N // 3º07’34.62” E

TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban?

DATE:  I A.D. (maybe Julio-Claudian)

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 650 - 800 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. Cut in the rock. 31 m. diameter survives but it was bigger. maenianum. Ima cavea: 10 rows of seats in 4 cunei (extreme two are a little bigger than the two of the middle). Summa cavea: maybe it was built on wood, there are some holes that make that hypothesis.

ORCHESTRA: 16 m. diameter, surronded by bisellia (three rows).

STAGE BUILDING: There are foundation remains and some holes maybe for aulaeum.

LOCATION: 600 m. south of town, in archeological park close to Alcudia, in the north-east of Mallorca island.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // “Jornadas sobre teatros romanos en Hispania” Córdoba, 2006.

OUT OF PRINT: I visited Pollentia´s ancient theatre one morning, I had the feeling of being in a private garden, that´s because Alcudia´s archeological park is an old private fields. I imagined in the stone remains ancient actors giving life to that poor skeleton. With Pollentia I lived something that I haven´t in anorther ancient theatres, after I visited it in october 2008 I had to act, the same day, but not in it, in fact  in the “Teatro Municipal” in Palma de Mallorca city, 50 klm. far. Before going out to stage I remembered to have thought that if in 2.000 years somebody will feel a curiosity for the remains of “Teatro Municipal” like I I had that morning, visiting the ancient Pollentia´s Roman theatre... easy to explain... syntetic foam seats are not the same that  stone rows of seats... nobody will imagine me in 2.000 years.

Oenoanda (Incealiler)

OENOANDA (Incealiler), ancient Lycia (Asia Minor), modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º48’35.27” N // 29º32’59.47” E

TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Scene building in roman times, second half I A.D.

CAPACITY: 2.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. Exceed semicircle, horseshoe-shaped. Built on natural slope. 55 m. diameter. Only one maeniana, with at least 17 rows of seats in 11 cunei.
ORCHESTRA: 17,5 m. diameter.

SCENEE BUILDING:  25,5 x 5,75 m. Five doorways.

LOCATION: North side of town. Ancient Oenoanda is up in a hill, you reach it from modern Incealiler, a very small turkish village.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978. // Freely, John; “The Western Mediterranean coast of Turkey”. Istanbul, Matbaacilik ve Yayincilik A.S., 1997. // Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010.

OUT OF PRINT: First time I visited Incealiler was in 2005, it was Kurban Bayrami's day, a religious festival in which sheeps are slaughtered. The day before it had snow very much, when I arrived early in the morning to Incealiler some young people invited me to have tea in the local canteen. They all dressed like requires a special day like these, with the best clothes they have. I had read that it was dificult to find ancient Oenoanda´s remains in the hill if you do not know the right way, so I tried to convince a young boy to accompany me on my climb to the theatre, something that was no dificult because turkish people is always very friendly and helpful. We were walking up for about three quartes of hour, but we have to walk away because the snow was starting to be too bulky and my young turkish friend was not wearing "prooper footwear", that surprised me, his Sunday black and bright shoes were absolutely clean and dry, while my goretex hiking boots were soaked. He did not speak english but explained me that the theatre was far and not visible for the snow; we return to Incealiler and I felt quite disappointed. In 2009 I returned to Incealiler with the same intention to arrive ancient Oenoanda; an ancient man, 80 years old, ask me to go with him, he would learn me the way; he did not speak anything of english and I do not speak any turkish but after ten or twelve steeps he always stoped and tried to speak with me, always laughing, like if I could understand anything. We spend more than one hour climbing the hill and finally I could visit ancient Oenoanda´s theatre, 1450 m. high. When we started to go down we found one hunter, the old man changed some words with him, a real hunter dressed with animal skins. We continued going down but the old man was all the way in silence, he seemed sad and I really felt bad for that, trying to imagine what was in his mind... You can see in the photograph that ancient man who was so polite with me.

Alba Augusta Helviorum (Alba-la-Romaine)

ALBA AUGUSTA HELVIORUM (Alba-la-Romaine), ancient Gallia Narbonensis, modern France.

COORDINATES: 44º33’35.52” N // 4º36’06.65” E

TIPOLOGY :Gallo-roman Theatre transformed in Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: I A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS: II A.D.

CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing east. 73 m. diameter. maenianum. Ima cavea: cunei and steps. Summa cavea: cunei and steps.

ORCHESTRA: 12,3 m. diameter, including bisellia and passegeway 22,5 m.

STAGE BUILDING: A modern water canal has destroyed any remains.

LOCATION: Ancient theatre is less than one kilometer north from modern Alba-la-Romaine.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Grenier, Albert; “Manuel d’archeologie Gallo-Romain”. Paris, Éditions A. Et J. Picard, 1958. // Landes, Christian (Ed.); “Le gout du theatre a Rome et en Gaule romaine”. Musée de Lattes, 1989.

OUT OF PRINT: Maybe Alba-la-Romaine ancient theatre is one of less spectacular roman theatres in Narbonensis, land of impressive ancient theatres but it has something especial and diferent: 1/ Originally It was a Gallo-Roman theatre that was converted in a Roman theatre, one century later, something curious if we think that in Narbonensis is not common Gallo-Roman theatres but Romans type. 2/ It´s close to a small village, in the middle of the field, not in a big moder city like its is in Narbonensis ancient theatres.

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.

Aventicum (Avenches)

AVENTICUM (Avenches), ancient Germania Superior, modern Switzerland.

COORDINATES: 46º52’48.99” N // 7º02’55.65” E

TIPOLOGY : Theatre Gallo-Roman. Urban.

DATE: End of I A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS: In late III A.D.

CAPACITY: 12.000 espectators. (I think that number is a little exaggerated)

CAVEA: Built on flat site, supported bt radial and and annular walls. Facing north-west. 106 m. diameter. Tue plan is a semicircle extendedby two parallel lines. About 50 rows of seat in 3 maenaiana. In the first rows of seat, in the centre, there is a cult niche.

ORCHESTRA: 17,75 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: Pulpitum 12x12 m.

LOCATION: Aventicum is in modern Avenches, 35 klm. west of Bern.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Landes, Christian (Ed.); “Le gout du theatre a Rome et en Gaule romaine”. Musée de Lattes, 1989. // Fellmann, Rudolf; “La Suisse Gallo-Romaine”. Laussane, Editions Payot, 1992.

OUT OF PRINT: It´s a typical cult Gallo-Roman theatre, associated with a temple (150  m. north-west). 400 m. west of the theatre is an impressive roman amphitheatre for 14.000 spectators.

Messene (Mavrommati)

MESSENE (Mavrommati), ancient Achaia / Mesenia, modern Greece.

COORDINATES: 37º10’31.73” N // 21º55’15.54” E

TIPOLOGY : Greek odeon, Ekklesiasterion or small cult theatre. Urban.

DATE: The Asclepium start to be built in Hellenistic times but was finished in roman times, in first I A.D.

CAPACITY: 700 ? spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. Rest on little slope. It´s enclosed by a rectangular wall 21x34 m.. Maenianum: Ima cavea: 11 rows in 3 cunei; Summa cavea: 4 rows preserved but probably more.

ORCHESTRA: 9,70 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: The facade wall of the stage building, hellenistic style, consisted of 6 doric half-colums; it had three doorways and four openings for wooden painted panels.

LOCATION: Messene´s archeological remains are close to modern Mavromati, in the south-west of Peloponeso.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Mee, Christopher; Spawforth, Anthony; “Greece. Oxford archeological guides”. Oxford University Press, 2001.

OUT OF PRINT: Odeon in conection with Asclepium temple, like in Nea Paphos or Pergamo. Messene´s odeon is one of these I would like to play, with its dazzling white stone, the living colour of its orchestra, their dimensions invites to an intimate theatre where first and last is the contact with the spectator; these kind of feeling I also have had, but with naunces, in Aphrodisias and Nysa´s bouleuterions or odeons, both in Asia Minor, Turkey.

Nea Paphos (Kato Paphos)

NEA PAPHOS (Kato Paphos), ancient Cyrenaica, modern Cyprus.

COORDINATES: 34º45’36.92” N // 32º24’25.98” E

TIPOLOGY : Roman odeon. Urban.

DATE: Late I A.D.

CAPACITY: 2.000 ? spectators.

CAVEA: Facing east. 48 m. diameter. Supported in subestructures. Only low maeniana survives. Ima cavea: 14 rows in 5 cunei ; probably Summa cavea had 13 rows in 10 cunei. Hardly restored in 70´s.

ORCHESTRA: 12 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: Part of the proscaenium and the paved floor are preserved. Some fragments of grey granite columns were found.

LOCATION: The odeon in in Paphos´  archeological place. Odeon is facing agora inside the Asclepium complex.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Karageorghis, Vassos; “Cyprus. From stone age to the Romans”. London, Thames and Hudson”, 1982.

OUT OF PRINT: The odeon was in conection with Asclepium complex, so it is thought the building was used for ritual purpose. Similar to Pergamo´s Asclepium theatre, in Turkey. Some pretty mosaics can be found in Paphos´ archeological place.

Clunia (Peñalba de Castro)

CLUNIA (Peñalba de Castro), ancient Hispania Tarraconensis, modern Spain.

COORDINATES: 41º47'02.42" N // 3º21'55.17" O
TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: First I A.D. (Tiberian)

TRANSFORMATIONS: II A.D. ima cavea and orchestra transformed for amphitheatre games.

CAPACITY: 10.000 espectators.

CAVEA: Facing east. 96 m. diameter. Maenianum: Only parts of summa survives, carved on rock. Ima cavea: unknow rows in 4 cunei; Media cavea: 12 rows in 4 cunei; Summa cavea: 12 rows in 4 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter. In the center there is a stone with a ring, it was used to tie the beasts in amphitheater games.

STAGE BUILDING: 11,6 m. high. Two storeys corinthian order columnatio.

LOCATION: Is close to Peñalba de Castro, a little village 90 klm. South-west of Burgos.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // “El teatro en la Hispania romana” Badajoz, 1982. // “Jornadas sobre teatros romanos en Hispania” Córdoba, 2006. // “La Scaenae Frons en la arquitectura teatral romana”. Murcia, Universidad de Murcia, 2010. // De Palol, P.; “Clunia. Historia de la ciudad y guía de las excavaciones”. Burgos, Diputación provincial de Burgos, 1994.

OUT OF PRINT: My first spanish roman theatre published in that blog had to be Clunia, the ancient theatre I have visited more. It is near of where I live. I have seen some transformations and excavations in it, the last one has been the last process of restoration and rehabilitation for summer concerts and plays, finished two months ago. In his rows I have read Plauto´s plays some summer evenings, a special place for me, and for dialogue with silence.

Alinda (Karpuzlu)

ALINDA (Karpuzlu), ancient Caria (Asia Minor), moder Turkey.

COORDINATES: 37º33'31.73" N // 27º49'37.14" E
TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: End III B.C. or early II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Roman Scaenae Frons early I A.D.

CAPACITY: 3.500 espectators.

CAVEA: Facing. Rest on steep slope, more than a semicircle. 69,7 m. diameter. maenianum. Ima cavea: 9 cunei and 12 steps. Summa cavea: 11 cunei and 12 steps.

ORCHESTRA: 18 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: The hellenistic stage was stage building was 30x11,5 m., but was demolished in Augustan time and was built a new building with a two storeys scaenae frons with three doors.

LOCATION: Alinda ancient city is just up of modern Karpuzlu, a little village 55 km. south from Aydin.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Bean, George; “Turkey beyond the Maeander”. London, Ernst Benn, 1971. // Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010.

OUT OF PRINT: First time I visited Alinda I found some ancient villagers harvesting the olives from the olive trees, shaking branches. That´s now Alinda´s ancient theatre, not spectators, only an olive grove; nature redefines the natural utility of theatre... an absolutely marvellous place.

Germanicomagus (Saint Cybardeaux)

GERMANICOMAGUS (Saint Cybardeaux), ancient Gallia Aquitania, modern France.

COORDINATES: 45º46'53.56" N // 0º00'22.67" O
TIPOLOGY : Gallo-Roman cult theatre.

DATE: I A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS: II and III A.D.

CAPACITY: 6.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-east. 105,6 m. diameter. Built against hillside. Two maeniana: Ima cavea with 7 cunei ; summa cavea with 13 cunei. In I A.D., in his first phase it was considerably smaller, with capacity for only 1.000 spectators. Seats were made of wood, in lower part some stone tired seats were added for persons of note.

ORCHESTRA: 47,6 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: Scaena 10 x 8,8 m. in the first phase, but later enlarged 35,5 x 7,1 m.

LOCATION: Ancient Germanicomagus is in the Bois des Bouchauds, 40 klm. north of Angoulême Theatre used in ancient times for religious purposes.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Grenier, Albert; “Manuel d’archeologie Gallo-Romain”. Paris, Éditions A. Et J. Picard, 1958. // Landes, Christian (Ed.); “Le gout du theatre a Rome et en Gaule romaine”. Musée de Lattes, 1989.

OUT OF PRINT: I arrived Germanicomagus one cloudy morning, cold but sweet time. I found of the deepest silences I have ever felt in my life. The theatre is in a forest called Bois de Bouchauds, a place drown of a story where, after the fog, it would be easy to see a druid.

Lychnidos (Ohrid)

LYCHNIDOS (Ohrid), ancient Macedonia , modern FYR Macedonia.

COORDINATES: 41º06'52.71" N // 20º47'37.66" E
TIPOLOGY : Greek Theatre. Urban.

DATE: II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Low seats remuved and orchestra adaptation in Roman times for amphiteatre games.

CAPACITY: 5.000 ? espectators. (Today 1.500)

CAVEA: Facing south-east. Rest on natural slope. Ima cavea: 12 steps in 4 cunei. Nothing survives of summa cavea. There are row of seats with greek names. Currentley used for summer performances and concerts.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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: Summer rain toke me in Ohrid, a day in which the stone row of seat reborned and show me with special brightness their inscriptions, names of ancient Greek spectators taht could never iamgine that one day a traveler would sit on their location, in the same stone, and look toward the stage, in silence, waiting for the show, as they, more than two thousands years ago, expectant, eager to taste.

Sabra (Wadi Sabra)

SABRA (Wadi Sabra), ancient  Arabia , modern Jordan.

COORDINATES: 30º16'28.03" N // 35º24'34.23" E (I am not 100% sure)
TIPOLOGY : Roman cult theatre. Not urban.

DATE: II A.D.

CAPACITY: 600 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-west. 40 m. diameter. Biger than a semicircle. 1 maeniana. Ima cavea: 8 cunei and 10 step survives, carved in rock. Top row seat have a backrest.

ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter. Some scholars erroneously  thought it was transformed in a naumachia.

STAGE BUILDING: It is covered.

LOCATION: Wadi Sabra is 8 klm. South of Petra. The theatre is part of a nabatean santuary.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995.

OUT OF PRINT: Sabra is 8 km. south of Petra, there is no road for cars, you have to arrive the place walking or in a donkey. I contacted with a Nabatean teenager that take me to the place after walking two hours between the Wadi and the red lone mountains of Petra; I did not have yet my GPS and I read that it was better to arrive the ancient theatre with somebody who knows the walk, and that was truth, is not easy to find it if you do not know the right way. A very enigmatic place, like all Petra in fact, although with the added of being out of any population signal; and something for not te be forget, a tea made and served in the steps of the theatre, in a makeshift fire made by my companion... Sacrilege? No, just life and peace.

Volterrae (Volterra)

VOLTERRAE (Volterra), ancient Etruria, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 43º24'12.38"N // 10º51'36.16" E
TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: Late I B.C or first I A.D. (Augustan)

TRANSFORMATIONS: In II A.D. decoration of scaenae frons and some transformations for amphitheatre games.

CAPACITY: 3.500 spectators.

CAVEA: Partially rest on natural slope but summa cavea on sub-structures. Facing north-west. 63 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea: 5 cunei and 10 steps; Media: 10 cunei and 9 steps; Summa cavea: five or six steps.

ORCHESTRA: 18 m.diameter, paved in coloured marble slabs.

STAGE BUILDING: Scaena frons with two –storey columnatio, 16 m. high. Regia door in a very big central exedra.

LOCATION: Within Roman walls.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: If I could choose the roof of my house, without hesitation I would choose that view, Volterra´s ancient theatre. That would be the place for coffe time, with the shadows of the close trees, with the rest of the extended look, in that special roman and medieval town.