Sabato 4 maggio 2024, ore 10:30, presso il Centro Culturale Zavattini Luzzara
Presentazione del progetto fotografico Suzzara, un Paese
Incontro con l’autrice Veronica Bertoni
The old Gonzaga palace was built around 1481. Originally - with its auxiliary buildings - it occupied the entire area south of the Luzzara Castle, between the Parish church and the actual seat of the Town Hall. The war culminating in the battle that took place on August 15, 1702, though, caused the destruction of part of the building. After the Gonzaga, it served as a Public Palace for centuries, and then it was abandoned until the Unification of Italy.
It was probably built at the end of the 11th century, in Romanesque style, and renovated several times. It was rebuilt from 1676 in Baroque style - except for the apse, which is still Romanesque. In 2000, crypt excavations led to several findings, such as capitals, columns and frescoes from the original Romanesque building and shards dating back to the previous period. Inside, it preserves some 16th-century paintings, such as the altarpiece portraying the “Vergine col Bambino tra S. Giorgio e S. Girolamo” (Giuliesca School) modeled after a sketch by Giulio Romano kept in the Louvre Museum.
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.
