Teatro Morlacchi
Teatro Morlacchi, once known as Teatro del Verzaro, is Perugia’s largest theater. It is named after the local musician Francesco Morlacchi.
In 1777, about ninety middle‑class families formed the Society for the Construction of a New Theater to rival the nobles’ Teatro del Pavone. They bought an old convent and hired architect Alessio Lorenzini. To fit space and give a box to every family, Lorenzini designed the hall in a diagonal horseshoe shape and reduced the size of the entrance hall. Construction ran from June 1778 to April 1780, and the theater opened on August 15, 1781, with a capacity of about 1,200.
In 1874 the building was renovated by Guglielmo Calderini, giving it its current structure, while artists Francesco Moretti and Mariano Piervittori redecorated parts of the interior, including the ceiling curtain. At this reopening, the theater was named Morlacchi.
The theater operated strongly into the early 20th century, but its fortunes waned under Fascism and it was used by German troops during the occupation. After World War II the theater was badly damaged. Between 1951 and 1953 the city funded restoration work, including a new roof and changes to the stage, the orchestra pit and the marble floors.
Today the theater has 785 seats. The stage is 20 meters wide and 10.5 meters deep, and the proscenium is 10.5 meters wide.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:51 (CET).