The Sferisterio is an open-air

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

sphaeristerium Sphaeristerium (Latin; from the Greek σφαιριστήριον; from σφαῖρα, ball) is a term in Classical architecture given to a large open space connected with the Roman thermae for exercise with balls after the bather had been anointed. ...

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza ri ...

, Italy.

History

An ancient Italian national sport or

pallone col bracciale Pallone (; Italian for an inflated ball, source of the English word ''balloon'') is the name of several traditional ball games, played in all regions of Italy, with few differences in regulations. Forms Pallone col bracciale Pallone col bracci ...

was the most popular sport in Italy for almost five centuries. This game dated back to the 15th century. The people of Macerata decided that they needed somewhere large to play and watch it; a place that could also be used for public spectacles such as

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

es and even

bull fight ''Bull Fight'' is a coin-operated arcade game produced by Sega in 1984. Description The player assumes the role of a bullfighter attempting to defeat a bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus ...

s. One hundred citizens raised the money themselves, and got

Ireneo Aleandri Ireneo Aleandri (1795–1885) was an Italian architect of the Neoclassic period. He was born in San Severino Marche, but studied at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. In his youth, he completed a number of restorations and buildings in his nati ...

to design and build it in 1823. The design involved the destruction and rebuilding of some of the historic

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s next to the Porta Mercato gate. It took about six years to complete the building. The strait side of the arena is a wall 18 metres high and 88 metres long, along which is a line of arches separated by 56 columns carrying a double row of boxes, and a stone gallery, all in Neoclassical style. Over the years the popularity of pallone decreased and that of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

replaced it. In 1919 the surface was levelled to allow for this, and also for

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s. The arena had been used for the occasional theatrical event from 1871, but from about 1921

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

began to be put on there.

Present day use

In 1921, as the first presentation of what would become the

Sferisterio Opera Festival The Macerata Opera is the name given to the coordinating bodies of the provincial and local government in Macerata, the provincial capital of the Marche region of Italy, which puts on performances of three or four operas each July and August under ...

, Pieralberto Conti staged

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

'' paid for by the

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

, Francisca Solari. This was followed by all parts of the arena, both front- and back-stage, being renovated and

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

introduced. Today it holds an audience of over 3,000. The stage is 14.5 meters deep and 40 meters wide, with 10 meter wings each side of that. It is rather unusual shape for musical performances (musicians at each end of the pit cannot hear each other) but the acoustics are surprisingly good (at least near the middle). The present day opera festival, beginning in the late 1980s and under the auspices of the

Macerata Opera The Macerata Opera is the name given to the coordinating bodies of the provincial and local government in Macerata, the provincial capital of the Marche region of Italy, which puts on performances of three or four operas each July and August under ...

, takes place in this location.

References

*Zeitz, Karyl Lynn, ''Italian Opera Houses and Festivals'', Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005.

External links

Opera Festival website, with photographs, in English
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Macerata Macerata Tourist attractions in le Marche Culture in le Marche Theatres in le Marche

History

Present day use

See also

References

External links