Teatro Olimpico

Executive summary by darmansjah

The entrance to the Teatro Olimpico courtyard from Piazza Matteotti. The medieval wall predates the theatre, but the rusticated entrance arch was designed by Scamozzi, and clearly mimics the style and size of the porta reggia inside the theatre.

The Teatro Olimpico  is a theatre in Vicenza, northern Italy, constructed in 1580-1585. The theatre was the final design by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and was not completed until after his death. The trompe-l'œil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon, was installed in 1585 for the very first performance held in the theatre, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence.

Scaenae frons of the Teatro Olimpico. The large arch in the center is known as the porta regia or "royal arch".

The Teatro Olimpico is, along with the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theatres remaining in existence. Both these theatres were based, in large measure, on the Teatro Olimpico.

Detail of the wood-and-plaster stage scenery designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, as viewed through the porta reggia of the scaenae frons.

Since 1994, the Teatro Olimpico, together with other Palladian buildings in and around Vicenza, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.