The Flora Theater is a small 18th-century performing arts theater located in the Palazzo dei Priori in center of the town of

Penna San Giovanni Penna San Giovanni is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about south of Macerata. Penna San Giovanni borders the following municipalities: Amandola, Falerone ...

, province of Macerata, region of

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, Italy.

History

The nucleus for the theater was formed by a ''Società del Teatro'', founded in 1780, and composed of ten condomini (owners) in the town. They utilized this space in the town palace to built this theater with a frescoed wooden roof, above ground seating and two floors of theater boxes. The decoration is an elaborate

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

décor on wood, with wooden columns painted as faux marble. The theater presently sits about 100 persons. In the twentieth century, for years the theater was abandoned and threatened with destruction. In 1985 it was designated as a historic national treasure and recently subsequently restored. The painted decoration was completed

Antonio Liozzi Antonio Liozzi (1730–1807) was an Italian painter, active in a late-Baroque style in his native city of Penna San Giovanni. Biography He was born to a middle-class family in Penna San Giovanni, a town in the province of Macerata. The major ...

, who painted the central ceiling fresco of the goddess Flora, as well as the mouldings and frames.Turismo di Macerata
website by Cassa di Risparmio della Provincia di Macerata.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flora Penna San Giovanni Buildings and structures in the Province of Macerata Theatres in le Marche Theatres completed in 1780 Neoclassical architecture in le Marche