Descrizione
Melodrama and science take centre stage
In the heart of the village, the Angelo Battelli Theatre is a place steeped in stories and dreams. Emerging from the cultural fervour of a bygone era, this theatre is a true architectural gem, a reflection of the town’s melodramatic soul, a stage upon which the plots of countless tales have unfolded. Its history dates back to 1712, a time when another theatre, in the Castle, set the hearts and minds of Macerata Feltria’s youth alight, a youth hungry for drama and the poetry of the stage.
That passion never faded until, in 1930, the doors of the Teatro Lirico opened – a theatre that today bears the name of Angelo Battelli. Battelli, whose spirit still seems to linger behind the scenes, was a man of science and statesmanship, a mind that transcended the limits of his time to embrace the future.
A pioneer in the study of X-rays, electricity and radiotelegraphy, he saw in the wireless telegraph not only a marvel of physics, but also a bridge to unexplored possibilities. In the realms of his research, aeroplanes ‘cut through the air’ with a new understanding of aerodynamics, and amidst the din of battle, his genius helped shape the inventions that would bring the conflict to an end.
The Battelli Theatre is a temple of the arts, whose architecture pays homage to the nineteenth century with its horseshoe-shaped boxes and stucco decorations – a legacy of that era which still enchants and amazes today. Inside, early 20th-century details blend with Art Nouveau style, as in the large ovoid structure dominating the vaulted ceiling, where a symbolic image of Macerata Feltria listens to the divine Apollo, in a depiction that is almost a painted prayer, a plea for eternal beauty and inspiration.
After years of silence and gradual decay, culminating in its closure in 1984, the theatre was brought back to life in 2001, thanks to a restoration that reawakened its soul. Like a phoenix, it continues to inspire culture and art, celebrating the genius of the man to whom it is dedicated and keeping alive the magic of a time when science and art danced together, in the name of a future full of discoveries and wonders.
