Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · editedTeatro Olimpico
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Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
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Why go
- One of only three Renaissance theatres still standing.
- The world’s oldest surviving stage set, made for temporary use at the 1585 opening and still in place.
- Seven perspective streets make a 12-metre-deep stage appear 100–200 metres deep.
- A Roman-style stage façade of wood and stucco painted to resemble marble.
Plan your visit
Prices
From the venue's website · checked 27 Oct 2026
Opening hours
Today09:00 – 17:00Show all
The hall
- Seating
- The half-oval auditorium has 14 stepped rows, with space for around 800 people in its original layout. Performance audiences are limited to 400 for conservation.
Interesting facts8
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1997
Scamozzi designed glass oil lamps for the stage. Their expense and fire risk limited their use; the original system was used again for Oedipus Rex in 1997.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia -
English architect Inigo Jones visited soon after completion and praised the perspective views.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia -
1979
The theatre appears in Joseph Losey’s Don Giovanni (1979), university scenes in Lasse Hallström’s Casanova, and Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s Mitridate, re di Ponto.
Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza) - Wikipedia -
Three openings in the stage façade are modeled on Roman triumphal arches.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia -
Eleven upper façade panels depict the twelve labours of Ercole.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia -
Scamozzi added the Odèo and Antiodèo rooms and designed the entrance archway through the medieval wall.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia -
A colonnade with balustrades surrounds the auditorium.
Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza) - Wikipedia -
A statue of Leonardo Valmarana, who promoted the theatre’s construction, stands in the central niche above the seating.
Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
The Accademia Olimpica commissioned the theatre for classical comedies and made it its home.
- 1555The Accademia Olimpica was founded.
- 1580Construction began to Andrea Palladio’s design. Palladio died that year, and his son Silla continued the work.
- Around 1583Working from Palladio’s notes, Silla completed the auditorium and proscenium.
- 3 March 1585Vincenzo Scamozzi completed the theatre and designed the wooden perspective scenery, for which Palladio had left no finished design. The theatre opened with Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and music by Andrea Gabrielli.
- 1813The Comune di Vicenza took ownership after a confiscation decree.
Show all
- 1986–1987A conservation restoration was carried out.
- 1994The theatre became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.
How to get there
- On footThe theatre stands at one end of Corso Palladio. Its entrance archway passes through the medieval wall into the old fortress courtyard.
Sources: Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia · Vicenza - Wikivoyage (see) · Teatro Olimpico (Vicenza) - Wikipedia · Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia · Teatro Olimpico - Wikipedia · checked 24 Sep 2026
- Phone
- +390444222800
Questions and answers
Are performances still held at Teatro Olimpico?
Yes. The theatre hosts plays and concerts, mainly in spring and autumn. Classical plays feature in autumn, while spring brings Il Suono dell’Olimpico.
Is Teatro Olimpico heated or air-conditioned?
No. The building has neither heating nor air conditioning, to protect its delicate wooden structures.
Is the ceiling at Teatro Olimpico original?
No. The current ceiling dates to 1914 and broadly follows the original design recorded in a 1630 engraving.
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