Teatro Olimpico
Built in 1585 and never once altered, the Teatro Olimpico is the oldest surviving indoor theatre in the world and arguably the most astonishing room in all of Vicenza. Palladio designed it in his final years; Vincenzo Scamozzi added the breathtaking trompe-l'œil stage set of a Greek city that has stood — and fooled eyes — for over 430 years.
The Stage Set That Defies Belief
Scamozzi's permanent scenery depicts seven streets radiating from a central arch, each one built in forced perspective so convincingly that they appear to stretch for hundreds of metres. In reality the deepest 'street' is just 12 metres long. Standing in the auditorium and staring at it produces a genuine moment of disorientation.
The set was constructed for the theatre's inaugural performance of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in 1585 and was simply never taken down. It is made of wood and stucco painted to look like marble — and it still does.
The Auditorium and Its Secrets
The elliptical auditorium is modelled on ancient Roman open-air theatres but squeezed into a rectangular building, a feat of spatial illusion that makes the room feel far larger than it is. The painted sky ceiling — always a soft, eternal twilight blue — adds to the dreamlike quality.
Concerts and theatrical performances are still staged here in summer, and hearing music in this space is an experience that no recording can replicate. Check the Comune di Vicenza events calendar for the summer season programme.
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