The Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa

Built on the site of the former Carlo Felice, the new theater—constructed by Mario Valle S.p.A. of Arenzano and designed by architects Aldo Rossi, Ignazio Gardella, Fabio Reinhart, and Angelo Sibilla, revives an idea already present in the designs of Paolo Chessa and Carlo Scarpa: the creation of a 400-square-meter covered plaza, where the theater would serve as the ideal link between Galleria Mazzini and Piazza De Ferrari. Architecturally, however, Galleria Mazzini and the theater are quite distinct.
The square serves as an open-air foyer; its walls are clad in stone slabs and feature columns and metal beams.

There were two key considerations that the architects sought to keep in mind when designing the Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa: first, the need to rebuild it exactly where it once stood, and second, the desire to equip the new structure with the most advanced technology. The latter consideration gave rise to the imposing stage tower, approximately 63 meters high.
In practice, all that remains of the old theater designed by Barabino are the columns, the pronaos, the Latin inscription, and the terrace overlooking Via XXV Aprile, which is accessed from one of the foyers; the current structure is very compact and geometric, and the stage tower is a very linear, vertically elongated parallelepiped, adorned only by a cornice. The auditorium, foyers, and public restrooms are housed within a smaller rectangular prism, on which the pronaos and portico stand out prominently.

As for the construction of the new theater, stone, plaster, and iron were used for the exterior, while marble and wood were used for the interior. These are durable materials that evoke a sense of eternity, security, and the building’s endurance over time.
From the covered plaza, descending a flight of stairs, one enters a hall with a capacity of about 200 seats. Equipped with a small stage and separate from the rest of the theater, the hall hosts conferences, lectures, and musical events.

The Interior
From the theater’s entrance, a wide staircase leads to the coat check areas and, continuing upward, to the first foyer, which covers an area of 660 square meters and is adorned with frescoes and tapestries.

Nerone Ceccarelli’s Curtain
The audience area and the stage area of the Carlo Felice Theater—designed by architects Aldo Rossi, Ignazio Gardella, and Angelo Sibilla—are separated by a fire-resistant curtain that is among the works of art specifically commissioned by the City of Genoa.
The winner of the competition was Giovanni Ceccarelli, also known as Nero – born in Pisa and ideally adopted by the city of Turin – with his work Viva Schöenberg.
“The project – wrote Nero to present his work – suggests renouncing the idea of realizing a painting with traditional techniques, proposing a pictorial work whose creation facilitates reading, considering the distance separating the audience from the stage. (…) From a careful study of the harmonic lines of the theatre (marked horizontally by the walls and terraces-stage), the idea was born for a vertical line, as if to represent a hypothetical Gothic cathedral or even an organ.”

The curtain measures about two hundred square meters and is made up of one hundred twenty-five panels: “The project took over two months, from creating the cartoons to installing the final piece using the planned materials,” Nerone said. “I opted for a lightweight yet durable aluminum, similar to that used in aviation. Along with the aluminum, I also used copper, brass, pewter, silver, and gold. The choice of colors was dictated by the setting in which the curtain is located.
Thus, the copper echoes the wood of the balustrades, and the pewter’s gray tone ties in with the stone walls.”
Furthermore, Nerone writes that: “The work, which will be very luminous, rests on a false perspective made of reflective metal that allows both the audience and the orchestra members to see their reflections, creating a dynamic space.

The reflective surface evokes the sea—specifically, Genoa—but it also transforms into a gallery that extends beyond the curtain, thus expressing the continuity of the Carlo Felice Theater, which remains alive despite its wounds.

In an abstract and dreamy vision, the curtain wants to recall the Genoese environment, the Carlo Felice del Barabino and the new one, the music (a string instrument stands in the center): “The architectural structure of the theatre’s interior” – continued the artist – recalls a square featuring Genoese characteristics, where the large luminous patch placed in the highest part of the work is an outlet of the square itself and which, although recalling the ruptures caused by the war, suggests the presence of a lighthouse pointing up to the sky. The large triangle divides the work into two periods: the depiction of both old and new Carlo Felice theatre. At the center, we can sense a hypothetical meeting or embrace with a precise meaning: despite so many adversities, music continues to impose itself among the highest expressions of man’s intellect”. Roberto Iovino

The Lantern
A distinctive feature of the Carlo Felice Theater is the lantern visible in the foyer above the entrance; it is a sort of luminous cone that extends the full height of the building and passes through all its floors, bringing light from the roof down to the covered plaza.

The Tower
The setting in which the technical teams operate is truly unique; right inside the stage tower—which houses the machinery that brings the performances to life—human labor and sophisticated mechanisms come together in a delicate balance. In fact, the theater features four stages: a main stage, a rear stage behind it, and two lower stages aligned with one another, all controlled by integrated, computerized systems.
These stage-movement systems, computerized lighting, sophisticated control rooms for filming, and acoustics among the best in Italy are among the features that make the Carlo Felice Theater one of the most important “factories of emotions” in Italy.

Features
230,000 cubic meters is the total volume
118,000 cubic meters is the volume for stages and backstage areas
106,000 cubic meters is the volume of the auditorium and associated areas
151,000 cubic meters is the above-ground volume
79,000 cubic meters is the underground volume
574 square meters is the area of the main stage
368 square meters is the area of the rear stage
Total surface of the understage: 1760 m²
Maximum distance between the proscenium and the spectators: 44 m
Size of the proscenium: 10 x 16 m
Height of the grated surface: 31.5 m
Seats in the main hall: 2.000
Seats in the conference room: 206
Elements of the orchestra: 88
Dressing rooms: 18
Rehearsal rooms available to the orchestra: 1 + 9
Rehearsal room in sections available to the chorus: 1 + 1
Rehearsal room in sections available to the corps de ballet: 1 + 1
Rooms for individual study available to singers: 3
Rehearsal room for the direction: 1
Interchangeable stages + 1 double crown swivel: 3
Total cost: 120 billion lire (about 60 million euros)
Annual number of visitors: 200.000
Permanent workers at the theatre: 278