Bellini Theater in Acireale
The Bellini Theater in Acireale is the opera theater of Acireale.
It was built to a design by the Catanese engineer Carmelo Sciuto Patti and inaugurated in 1870. Its construction took place in a very prosperous period for the city of Acireale which, under the control of the kingdom of the two Sicilies, had become one of the most important districts of Sicily, also called City of Studies due to the presence of many and important colleges. In this context, numerous structures dedicated to education were financed, including the Vincenzo Bellini theater. This became a center of attraction for the nobility and intellectuals of the time, also considering that, at the time of its construction, the Massimo Bellini theater in Catania did not exist.
The theater is located along Via Romeo, an ancient street located in the center historian of the city once also known as via della marina as it connected the city to the seaside resort of Santa Maria La Scala.
In 1952, a vast fire, the causes of which are still unknown, destroyed the entire theater with the exception of the only parts not made of wood: the foyer and the majestic Neoclassical façade which can still be admired today.
Originally the theater respected the classic scheme of Italian theatre< /em>: a foyer, a large stalls which also served as a party room, a stage with wings, a lower area for the orchestra, and a complex system of various stages order and rank. The vaulted roof was frescoed by the artist Spina Capritti Patti.
To date only part of the structure has been reopened and is used to host cultural events.
