(by Ida Bini) ‘Open Theaters 2025’ is back, an event organized by Visit Emilia which from 5 to 8 December invites you to explore the historic stages of the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia. The twelve theaters open for visiting are not just buildings, but time machines that continue to excite us even when the curtain has been raised: in the boxes, in the corridors and between the velvet seats, between the stucco and gilding, between stories and mysteries. We start at the Teatro Regio Parma, built by order of Duchess Maria Luigia in 1829, a small neoclassical masterpiece where a guided tour, lasting around 30 minutes, lets you peek into the dressing rooms, behind the scenes, in the private boxes and in the royal chambers. Visitation is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5; and at 10.30am, 11.30am, 3.30pm and 4.30pm on Saturday December 6th. Also in Parma, the Farnese Theater is a wooden wonder: built in 1618 in Pilotta, it should have collapsed a thousand times over; instead it is always there, to be visited in silence and without a guide. On the occasion of ‘Teatri Aperti’, visits are paid and also guided: Friday the 5th at 5 pm and Saturday the 6th at 11.30 and 17.00. In Busseto, about forty kilometers north of Parma, the Teatro Verdi was inaugurated in 1868 and commissioned by the people of Busseto in honor of the Maestro, who never entered it. Inside the Rocca Pallavicino, the horseshoe-shaped room, medallions painted with theatrical muses, and a bust of Verdi at the entrance are a secular pilgrimage for many opera lovers. Guided and paid visits take place on Sunday 7th and Monday 8th December every 30 minutes from 09.30 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 17.00. 10 km away is the Pallavicino Theater in Zibello, a small and elegant provincial theater. Inaugurated in 1804 in the palace of the marquise from which it gets its name, today it opens its doors for free from 14.00 to 18.00 on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th, to admire the wooden stage and ancient curtains.
In Piacenza you enter the Municipal Theatre, created in 1804 based on a design by Lotario Tomba, and the Sala dei Teatini, a deconsecrated church that has become a theater space. In the first you can still breathe the air of nineteenth century melodrama, in the second it is a modern experiment. Guided tours take place on Sunday 7th and Monday 8th December at 15.00 and 16.30. About fifty km south of Piacenza is Vigoleno with its eighteenth-century Teatrino Castle: here visits are not only guided, but also animated.
In fact, among the medieval walls and ancient brickwork, you run the risk of encountering some ghosts; visits are held on Saturday 6th and Monday 8th December, at 10.30, 11.00, 15.00, 16.30, and 17.00; However, animated visits in a Christmas atmosphere are on Sunday the 7th at 10.30, 11.30, 14.30, 15.30 and 16.30.
In Reggio Emilia there are guided tours of the Romolo Valli Municipal Theatre: here you discover the majesty of its horseshoe-shaped hall, four tiers of golden boxes, historic curtains and dressing rooms where the echoes of the artists still vibrate. We explore the technical background, behind the scenes of major shows and the fascinating history of a theater that has enchanted the city for more than a century. Guided tours, lasting 75 minutes, are held on Friday 5 December at 17.30 and 18.00.
There is also the possibility to take part in a guided tour, upon reservation, around the city at 16.00 with a meeting point via Farini 1.
Dedicated to musicians, the Bonifazio Asioli Theater in Correggio, about twenty km from the capital, almost looks like a nineteenth-century living room with its comfortable rooms, well-kept boxes and the atmosphere of a family home where art was the norm.
It hosts concerts, shows and exhibitions. Guided tours are held on Saturday December 6 at 10.30am. Another 20 km north and you arrive in Reggiolo where you visit the Giovanni Rinaldi Theatre, named after Giovanni Rinaldi, doctor and culture enthusiast.
The theater, which will officially open in 2026, is among the 60 best historic theaters in Italy. On Monday 8 December at 10.30 and 15.00 there will be guided tours not only of the theatre, but also of the Palazzo Sartoretti, the exterior of the medieval fortress, the temporary museum and the 30th Nativity scene exhibition. In the silence of the Guastalla, the Ruggero Ruggeri Theater looks like a small treasure chest of wonder: born in 1671 by order of the duke of Gonzaga, it still retains the baroque elegance of its horseshoe-shaped box and the intimacy of its seventeenth-century decoration. Named after the great actor Ruggeri, today it hosts prose, music and dance performances. Guided tours take place on Monday 8 December with a short historical tour of the city centre; the meeting point is in front of Palazzo al Ducale, Strada Gonzaga, at 4 pm.
Finally in Rubiera, just outside Reggio, there is the Herberia Theater which can be visited while listening to music: built in the 1980s inside the Corte Ospitale, it is now a contemporary sound and theater laboratory. Admission is free and guided tours are held on Friday December 5th at 6pm and 7pm. At 9pm you can attend the Gospel Experience music concert. For info and reservations: visit emilia.com/blog/teatri-aperti-in-emilia.
Reproduction protected by law © Copyright ANSA
