The framework of a masterpiece

The so called Bibiena Theatre was initially the location for internal meetings of the Academia, a cultural gathering of fundamental importance established at the time of the Gonzaga with the name Accademia Degli Invaghiti and recognised by the Pope in 1564. It took the form of an elitist university qualified to give degrees in every discipline. The building in which the Academia was located was originally owned by Ferrante Gonzaga, a soldier of Charles V, second son of Francesco and Isabella d’Este. The buildings went through a series of transformations, and already in the first part of its life it hosted a theatre used by the academics. It is however uncertain whether plays were actually staged here at the time. In the seventeenth century the Academia changed its name many times, being first named after the Invitti and later after the Timidi.

The facade was completed after the construction of the theatre. The designer, the winner of a public competition held after Bibiena had fallen out of favour, is the architect Giuseppe Piermarini (Foligno 1734, Foligno 1808). A pupil of the Vanvitelli, Piermarini is famous for having designed the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. His work is representative of a rigorous Neoclassicism; Bibiena indeed was accused of being too much influenced by Renaissance models. The actual construction of the facade was carried out by Paolo Pozzo from Verona, who completed the external part of the building in 1775. It is important to notice that the neoclassical addition did not in any way interfere with the great internal hall, that today is universally praised for its magnificent beauty.