Sferisterio Arena

The arena

Built between 1823 and 1829 at the behest and financing of wealthy citizens of Macerata, called the “hundred spouses”, as recalled by an inscription on the facade, the building was designed by Ireneo Aleandri and the construction was entrusted to Salvatore Innocenzi. It was built to house some of the sports practices most in use in the nineteenth century in a permanent location, including the game of ‘ball with a bracelet’.

Over time, the Sferisterio has become the symbolic monument of Macerata, for its fascinating brick architecture, which culminates inside the majestic 90-meter arena surrounded by an elegant and spectacular succession of neoclassical columns.

Since the end of the nineteenth century it has become a stage for theatrical performances and operas. Today the famous opera season of the Macerata Opera Festival takes place inside it, which since 1967 has welcomed some of the greatest protagonists of world opera, among the performers we remember: Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Josè Carreras, Placido Domingo and Montserrat Caballè. Each year the arena also hosts other large-scale musical events such as Musicultura, an important festival of popular and author music, as well as dance performances and concerts by some of the most famous musicians and singers of the contemporary national and international scene.

Sferisterio history

The Sferisterio, with a large straight wall (18 x 88 m), an elegant succession of arches marked by 56 columns supporting a double order of boxes and a stone balcony that acts as a closing frame, initially hosts the game of ball with the bracelet, very popular in the mid-nineteenth century, and since 1909 the game of football and the new game of lawn-tennis. But the amphitheater is intended for different types of public performances, including the celebration of parties, the organization of rides, equestrian parades and political events, the hosting of equestrian circuses and bull hunts.

After a first series of theatrical performances at the end of the 19th century, from 1914 people began to think that the space of the building, that internal harmony between the neoclassical colonnade, the high straight wall and the large central open area, could be the perfect frame for the opera performances, which start with some performances of Bellini’s Norma. But it was only after the First World War, in 1921, that Pietro Conti organized what became the most prestigious event of the year, now known throughout Europe, staging Verdi’s Aida as the first great opera performance of the Sferisterio, followed by the the following year La Gioconda di Ponchielli. A large stage is built, three portals are opened on the back wall creating entrances and exits for the actors, a powerful electrical system is set up, an impressive orchestra is written and a strong advertising campaign is launched that has great resonance. In 1927 Macerata hosted Beniamino Gigli in a vocal-instrumental concert in the amphitheater, accompanied by maestro Amilcare Zanella, one of the greatest conductors of the time, the success is such that the memory is still perpetuated in the celebratory inscription of the ‘main entrance.

After the interruption of the events in the war and post-war period of the second conflict, in the 1960s the opera circuit resumed its rise with new installations, a new lighting system and the opening of the three arches in the background of the stage, starting a lasting path and paved with successes which today takes the name of Sferisterio Opera Festival. With its natural acoustics, more than 3000 seats, 104 stages and a stage of considerable size, the Sferisterio arena, which in the current summer seasons hosts significant musical events complementary to the opera program, is rightly defined as the “workshop of wonders”.

Timetables

Opening hours from November to March: From Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 13:00 / 15:00 – 17:30 (last entry 30 minutes before)

Opening times for April, May and October: From Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 13:00 / 14:30 – 18:30 (last entry 30 minutes before)

Opening times for June, July and September: From Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 – 13:00 / 15:00 – 19:00 (last entry 30 minutes before)

Opening hours for August: from Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-13:00 / 15:00-19:00 (last entry 30 minutes before)

Address
piazza Nazario Sauro, Macerata (MC)

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