The construction of Cagli's theatre began in 1871 as a replacement for the old Teatro delle Muse which had been
inaugurated in 1754.The architects were Giovanni Santini of Perugia and Coriolomo Monti of Bologna. By December 1876, with the completion of the decoration inside, the theatre was ready.
The inauguration took place in 1878 with the staging of the opera "The Devil's Violin" which had been specially written by Cavaliere Agostino Mercuri of Sant'Angelo in Vado for
the occasion. The backdrops and wings, which are still preserved on stage, were painted by Verdi's favourite set designer, Gerolamo Magnani. The main facade of the theatre, crowned by a robust cornice supported by corbels, sits well among the city's
buildings, thanks to the use of classical building techniques, such as rustication. The theatre foyer is covered with elegant cross-vaulting decorated with central rosettes, supported upon four
marbled columns. Alessandro Venanzo (1839-1916) was responsible for the decoration of the entire theatre, including the Grand Curtain. Each of the elaborate decorations on the boxes and the
gallery are different. The second tier balcony is dedicated to Cagli's most illustrious figures, each painted on a golden medallion. At the base of the pilasters, rather than the first
tier carving of the Swan, there is a Harpy, while the Pegasus is carved into the third tier balcony. At the centre of the pastel blue ceiling above, within an
elaborate hexagonal frame, are the symbols of the seven Liberal Arts - Grammar, Dialectic, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astrology and Music. The wooden rosette in the
centre of the ceiling opens in two parts to enable the gilt candelabra to be winched up into the roof space. The candelabra itself was made in the workshop of Pucci by
one of his ablest pupils, Rinaldo Paioncini. The medallions on the trompe l'oeil drapes carry the monochrome busts of the great personalities of the Arts.
The niches on the proscenium arch carried the statues of Comedy and Tragedy under which are the busts of Goldoni and Alfieri. The Tympanum is decorated with chariots which
are being pulled in opposite directions and the words "L'INVIDO TEMPO VIOLAR NON OSI L'ARA DELL'ARTE". Finally, the magnificent curtain depicts soldiers and
cavaliers, page boys and dignitaries around the tent of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa who in 1162 laid siege to the Guelf city of Cagli. The city can be seen in the background
to the left. The scene portrays the Emperor in the act of nominating Ludovico Baglione, Duke of Swabia, to be the Emperor's representative in perpetuity over the City of Perugia.
text by Alberto Mazzacchera |
