The ancient theatre of Taormina (Italian : Teatro antico di Taormina) is an ancient Greek theatre in Taormina, Sicily, built in the third century BC.
The ancient theatre of Taormina (Italian : Teatro antico di Taormina) is an ancient Greek theatre in Taormina, Sicily, built in the third century BC.
A Hellenistic theatre stood at Taormina from around the third century BC. The remains of another Hellenistic building have been found under the Roman cavea. Under Roman rule, the theatre was rebuilt, probably around the time of Hadrian or Trajan. It was remodelled in the third century AD, with the orchestra turned into an arena and the stage removed. [1]
The ancient theatre had a diameter of 107 metres (351 ft) and could hold around 10,000 spectators. It is one of the oldest theatres in Magna Graeca to have curved cavea, rather than the older trapezoidal design. The cavea were divided into nine sections. On either side of the skene was a basilica. [2] Today, the theatre is used as a venue for the annual Taormina Film Festival. [3]
The ancient theatre of Taormina is featured extensively in the 1995 film Mighty Aphrodite , starring Woody Allen, Mira Sorvino, Helena Bonham Carter, and F. Murray Abraham. [4] Abraham in particular is shown repeatedly onstage as the leader of a Greek chorus. The theatre is also featured in season 2, episode 2, of the HBO series The White Lotus (2023).
Taormina is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, including that of Isola Bella, are accessible via an aerial tramway built in 1992, and via highways from Messina in the north and Catania in the south. On 26–27 May 2017 Taormina hosted the 43rd G7 summit.
Roman theatres derive from and are part of the overall evolution of earlier Greek theatres. Much of the architectural influence on the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings. However, Roman theatres have specific differences, such as generally being built upon their own foundations instead of earthen works or a hillside and being completely enclosed on all sides.
The Theatre of Dionysus is an ancient Greek theatre in Athens. It is built on the south slope of the Acropolis hill, originally part of the sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus. The first orchestra terrace was constructed on the site around the mid- to late-sixth century BC, where it hosted the City Dionysia. The theatre reached its fullest extent in the fourth century BC under the epistates of Lycurgus when it would have had a capacity of up to 25,000, and was in continuous use down to the Roman period. The theatre then fell into decay in the Byzantine era and was not identified, excavated and restored to its current condition until the nineteenth century.
Mighty Aphrodite is a 1995 American comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Mira Sorvino, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Rapaport, and F. Murray Abraham. The screenplay was vaguely inspired by the story of Pygmalion and is about Lenny Weinrib's (Allen) search for his genius adopted son's biological mother, ultimately finding that she is a dim-witted prostitute named Linda Ash (Sorvino).
The Theatre of Pompey, also known by other names, was a structure in Ancient Rome built during the latter part of the Roman Republican era by Pompey the Great. Completed in 55 BC, it was the first permanent theatre to be built in Rome. Its ruins are located at Largo di Torre Argentina.
The Theatre of Marcellus was an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. It is located in the modern rione of Sant'Angelo. In the sixteenth century, it was converted into a palazzo.
Kourion was an important ancient Greek city-state on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. In the twelfth century BCE, after the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces, Greek settlers from Argos arrived on this site.
Hierapolis was a Hellenistic Greek city built on the site of a Phrygian cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia. It was famous for its hot springs, its high quality wool fabrics and dyes, and as the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Its extensive remains are adjacent to modern Pamukkale in Turkey.
Amantia was an ancient city and the main settlement of the Amantes, traditionally located in southern Illyria in classical antiquity. In Hellenistic times the city was either part of Illyria or Epirus. In Roman times it was included within Epirus Nova, in the province of Macedonia. The site has been identified with the village of Ploçë, Vlorë County, Albania. Amantia was designated as an archaeological park on 7 April 2003 by the government of Albania.
Prusias ad Hypium was a city in ancient Bithynia, and afterwards in the late Roman province of Honorias. In the 4th century it became a bishopric that was a suffragan of Claudiopolis in Honoriade. Before its conquest by King Prusias I of Bithynia, it was named Cierus or Kieros and belonged to the Heraclea Pontica. Photius writes that it was called Kieros, after the river which flows by it.
Taormina Film Fest (TFF) is an annual Italian film festival that takes place at Taormina, Sicily, Italy in July. It was established in 1955 in Messina, and in 1957 became Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale di Messina e Taormina, until it moved permanently to Taormina in 1971. It had a succession of names before adopting its current name.
The Roman theatre of Verona is an ancient Roman theatre in Verona, northern Italy. It is not to be confused with the Roman amphitheatre known as the Verona Arena.
The Roman Theatre of Cartagena is a Roman theatre in the Roman colonia of Cartago Nova—present-day Cartagena, Spain. Built between the years 5 and 1 BCE, it had a capacity of some 6,000 spectators and was used for Roman theatrical performances during ancient Rome.
The Greek theatre of Syracuse lies on the south slopes of the Temenite hill, overlooking the modern city of Syracuse in southeastern Sicily, Italy. It was first built in the 5th century BC, rebuilt in the 3rd century BC and renovated again in the Roman period. Today, it is a part of the Unesco World Heritage Site of "Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica".
The Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.
The largest building of the Archaeological Park of Dion in northern Greece is the Hellenistic-era theatre. It is located in the south of the village of Dion, Pieria and is often used during the summer for performances of the Olympus Festival.
The Roman Theater of Zaragoza is a Roman theatre in the Roman colonia of Caesaraugusta –present-day Zaragoza, Spain–, in the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis. It was built in the first half of the 1st century AD, in the Age of Tiberius and Claudius, following the model of the Theatre of Marcellus in Rome. It was used for Roman theatrical performances and had a capacity of 6,000 spectators in a city where only lived 18.000 people. Currently in ruins, it was active until the third century.
Naples (Italy) and its immediate surroundings preserve an archaeological heritage of inestimable value and among the best in the world. For example, the archaeological park of the Phlegraean Fields is directly connected to the centre of Naples through the Cumana railway, and the nearby sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Oplontis are among the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO.
The Roman Theatre of Catania consists of the ruins of two open-air semicircular ancient Roman theatres, located between Piazza San Francesco, via Vittorio Emanuele, via Timeo, and via Teatro Greco in the center of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The site consists of a larger theatre and a smaller semicircular theatre, an Odeon. The structure is part of the Parco archeologico greco-romano di Catania.
The Roman theatre of Volterra was uncovered in the 1950s, during archaeological excavations of the ancient Roman city conducted by Enrico Fiumi. 19th-century guide to the city mentions efforts in 1817 by the commune to start excavating what was considered a luxurious amphitheater at this site. It is one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in Italy. It is located just outside the Porta Fiorentina, in an area called Vallebuona.
37°51′8″N15°17′32″E / 37.85222°N 15.29222°E
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