Luzzara Theatre

Luzzara Theatre

From documents dating back to 1813, it seems that the “Società Teatrale di Luzzara” (Luzzara Theatre Company) bought a rural building - used as a granary - to transform it into the current theatre. Even though the adaptation works began immediately, the theatre was only open to the public on October 2, 1852, with the staging of the opera “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” by Vincenzo Bellini.

The theatre could hold up to 400 people, with 47 boxes and three tiers. The hand painted theatre curtain depicted the Fair of Luzzara with the Gonzaga princes. The building was radically restored in 1919. Although the three tiers were maintained, the plan became semi-circular. In 1947, the theatre was sold to privare buyers and was transformed into a warehouse. During the 1980s, it was re-purchased by the Municipality and in 1987 it started to be restored, even though the renovation work was soon interrupted for lack of funds. 

Nearby

convento

Church and Former Convent of the Augustinians


Also known as the church of the former hospital or church of the “Conventino”. It was built at the end of the 15th century by the will of Caterina Pico - Marquis of Luzzara Rodolfo Gonzaga’s wife. It was nearly destroyed to the foundations and reconstructed between 1764 and 1771. Fortunately, the 15th-century apse has been left intact. The sacristy hosts the remains of a funerary monument - dedicated to Luigi Gonzaga, who died in 1570 - partially destroyed by a fire in 1918. In the upper part of the monument, in the very centre, it is possible to admire the Gonzaga coat of arms - borne up by two putti and dominated by a two-headed crowned eagle. The monument stands on an architrave borne by two large statues: a Caryatid and an Atlas. From the centre, under the ledge and borne by a lion’s head, a fruit festoon passes over the Caryatids and descends towards the outer sides, up to the large corbel of the base, where two eagles are placed. The monument also housed a plaque dedicated to Luigi Gonzaga. Frescoes of historical and artistic interest have been recently discovered under the adjacent porch.

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