Elegance on stage: the Chiabrera Theatre, the cultural heart of Savona.

A theatre that tells the story of the city

Overlooking Piazza Diaz, in the heart of Savona, the Gabriello Chiabrera Theater is much more than a historic building: it is the place where the city has intertwined its cultural identity with the great names of Italian and European music and theater for over a century and a half. Named after the Savona-born poet and playwright Gabriello Chiabrera, who lived between 1552 and 1638, the theater's very name reflects a profound connection to the city's literary roots.

History: from the 19th century to today

The birth in the name of Verdi

In the 1840s, as the city grew, the need for a new, more capacious theater arose. On October 8, 1850, the mayor gave the green light for construction, and the theater was inaugurated on October 1, 1853, with Giuseppe Verdi's Attila, conducted by Maestro Luigi Fabbrica—a debut that immediately established it as a leading opera house for the entire second half of the century.

The debut of a Savonese who became a legend

On Christmas Eve 1952, the theatre saw the debut of eighteen-year-old soprano Renata Scotto from Savona, in the role of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata—a moment the city still remembers with pride, as it marked the debut of one of the most celebrated voices of twentieth-century international opera.

Municipal management and the Opera Giocosa

Since 1967, the Municipality of Savona has assumed direct management of the theater, which it maintains today. Since 1986, the Chiabrera has been home to the Teatro dell'Opera Giocosa, recognized as a Traditional Theater by the Ministry, active in the production of high-level opera and symphony seasons.

Restoration and rebirth

The theater has gone through difficult times, such as the sudden detachment on October 11, 1999, of a portion of the fresco on the vault, which was reassembled with meticulous restoration. More recent interventions have restored the building to its full beauty: in 2005, the last major restoration brought the systems, furnishings, decorations, and the theater's vault back to their former glory.

An architectural jewel to be observed carefully

In addition to its historical and musical value, the Chiabrera is also a small open-air museum of 19th-century sculpture: in the niches of the façade are statues of Metastasio and Gioacchino Rossini, the work of the sculptor Antonio Brilla, while in the pediment's tympanum is a high relief depicting Gabriello Chiabrera presenting his poem to the Duke of Savoy—a detail that once again links the building to its illustrious dedicatee.

Chiabrera today: tradition and experimentation

The Teatro Chiabrera season, managed directly by the Municipality of Savona, currently features three main programs: Artistic Prose, Contemporary Prose, and Music and Ballet, in a constant balance between great classics and contemporary performing languages. Today, the theater is more than a performance venue: it is a symbol of the city and a cultural hub for the entire region. The theater's current director is Dr. Rajeev Badhan.

Practical information for your visit

• Address: Piazza Armando Diaz, 2, 17100 Savona
• Box office hours: Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays), 10:30 am - 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, and one hour before the shows
• Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance, parking, and bathroom
• Tickets and program: available on the theater's official website https://teatrochiabrera.it/