Teatro Augusteo, Performance theatre in central Naples, Italy

Teatro Augusteo is a theatre in central Naples with around 1,400 seats distributed across multiple sections offering clear views of the stage. The interior is designed to provide comfortable conditions for various types of performances.

Built between 1926 and 1929 on a design by architect Arnaldo Foschini with engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, assisted by Gioacchino Luigi Mellucci, the theatre rose on the piazzetta Duca d'Aosta, opened a few years earlier to serve the new Centrale funicular. It replaced a 1772 theatre by Luigi Vanvitelli holding up to 1,600 spectators inside Palazzo Berio, partly demolished for the square. Closed during the Second World War, it reopened in the 1950s after restorations that altered its appearance and acoustics; a deep recovery begun in 1992 returned it to its original look.

The theatre's programme mixes variety shows, recitals, musicals, opera and classical and modern plays. Actors such as Biagio Izzo, Carlo Buccirosso and Leo Gullotta have performed here, alongside musicians like Massimo Ranieri, Fiorella Mannoia, Pino Daniele and the illusionist Arturo Brachetti.

The theatre stands on Piazzetta Duca d'Aosta, the small square opened a few years before construction to give an outlet to traffic from the new Funicolare Centrale linking Vomero with Via Toledo. The venue is reached from that square, and its programme mixes plays, musicals, recitals and concerts, so it is worth checking what is on before making the trip.

The 1950s restoration altered the auditorium's appearance and its exceptional acoustics; the 1992 recovery aimed to return the theatre to its original look. The venue stands on the piazzetta Duca d'Aosta, created to open traffic for the new Centrale funicular linking Vomero to via Toledo.