Teatro Bellini is a private theatre and opera located in the centre of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, across the street from the

Academy of Fine Arts of Naples The Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli (Naples Academy of Fine Arts) is a university-level art school in Naples. In the past it has been known as the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti and the Reale Accademia di Belle Arti. Founded by King Charles VII o ...

on Via Conte di Ruvo. The house is named after the Sicilian-born composer

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania". Many years later, in 1898, Giu ...

, who is best known for his operas and who spent some time in the 1820s studying music in the city. In addition, there in an opera house name after him, the

Teatro Massimo Bellini The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house located on Piazza Vincenzo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer's mast ...

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, Sicily, his birthplace.

History

In 1864, Baron Nicola Lacapra Sabelli commissioned the theatre's creation by the architect

Carlo Sorgente Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

on Via Vincenzo Bellini. This theatre, located near Piazza Dante Alighieri, burned down in 1869, and a new one was inaugurated a few hundred feet from the original locale. Regale, Teatro Bellini Napoli

On 6 February 1877, Bellini's opera ''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and later changed to three acts on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set to a libretto ...

'' was performed there. The theatre has six tiers of box seats surrounding an oval floor. The interior decorations were created by

Giovanni Ponticelli Giovanni Ponticelli (Naples, c. 1829–1880) was an Italian painter. He was a resident of Naples. In 1877 he exhibited the two canvases: ''Il vizioso'' and ''La casa del rigattiere''. In 1872 at Milan, he exhibited ''The people of Andria fight th ...

Pasquale Di Criscito Pasquale is a masculine Italian given name and a surname mainly found in southern Italy. It is a cognate of the French name Pascal, the Spanish Pascual, the Portuguese Pascoal and the Catalan Pasqual. Pasquale derives from the Latin ''paschali ...

, and Vincenzo Paliotti, and the oil portrait of the opera composer was done by

Vincenzo Migliaro Vincenzo Migliaro (1858–1938) was an Italian painter born in Naples. Biography After learning the art of wood carving at courses held by the Società Centrale Operaia Napoletana and working in the studio of Stanislao Lista, Migliaro enrolled ...

. For nearly a century, the theatre presented operas and operettas, but by the 1960s, it had become dilapidated, used only as a cheap movie theatre, and it was considered for demolition. In 1962, the Bellini hosted its final operatic spectacle with ''

Masaniello Masaniello (, ; an abbreviation of Tommaso Aniello; 29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647) was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place of birth Until recent ...

'', before being acquired in 1986 by a group led by local artist and producer

Tato Russo Tato (died 510) was an early 6th century king of the Lombards. He was the son of Claffo and a king of the Lething Dynasty. According to Procopius, the Lombards were subject and paid tribute to the Heruli during his reign. In 508, he fought with ...

. They restored the house for operatic and theatrical productions, which are now frequently presented. Teatro Bellini's history
on teatrobellini.it

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teatro Bellini Opera houses in Italy Theatres in Naples 1877 establishments in Italy Theatres completed in 1877 Tourist attractions in Naples Music venues completed in 1877