Teatro Massimo Bellini

Catania, Italy

The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house in Catania. Named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was inaugurated in 1890 with a performance of the composer's masterwork, Norma

The exterior of the house matches the distinctive Sicilian Baroque style of the neighboring buildings of the late 17th Century. Its marble foyer, the “Ridotto”, is ornate and stuccoed, and a statue of Bellini is located between the central arches. The beautiful red-plush interior includes the main floor seating and four tiers of boxes. Surrounding them, on the upper level, are unusual arched arcades. The painted ceiling by Ernesto Bellandi depicts scenes from four of Bellini's most well-known operas.

Throughout its history, the opera house has performed almost all of Bellini's work. From its beginnings, a wide variety of operas have been performed by some highly renowned singers. In 1951, to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Bellini, Maria Callas sang Norma, repeating her success in 1952 and 1953.

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Details

Founded: 1890
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Noémie Ln (2 years ago)
The guided tour is totally worth it !
Bogdan Postelnicu (2 years ago)
Beautiful building and interesting explanations from the guide.
Xiaojing YANG (2 years ago)
Must visit the dome, 5 euros 19h30- 20h is the best photo time for sun set
Fariba Fathi (2 years ago)
Nice place in the old part of catania, with great night life!
ScaliArts Official (SCali Arts) (2 years ago)
Was closed for now.. But looks great from outside already.
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