Roman Theatre of Brescia, Roman theatre in Brescia, Italy
The Roman Theatre of Brescia is an ancient theatrical structure built into the slope of Cidneo Hill, in the heart of the city of Brescia, northern Italy. Parts of the tiered seating, marble fragments, and the foundations of the stage area have survived to this day.
The theatre was built during the early Roman imperial period, when Brescia, then called Brixia, was a thriving city in the Po plain. After an earthquake caused heavy damage, the structure was gradually buried under new buildings and forgotten for centuries.
The seating arrangement of the cavea, carved into the slope of Cidneo Hill, made social divisions visible to everyone present, with different rows reserved for different groups. Today visitors can still read these divisions in the shape of the surviving stone tiers.
The site sits in the center of Brescia, close to the Capitolium and the broader archaeological park, so it is easy to combine with other nearby ruins in a single walk. Wear comfortable shoes, as the surviving stone steps and ground surfaces can be uneven.
For many centuries the theatre was hidden beneath medieval and later buildings that had been erected directly on top of its remains, which is why it took so long to rediscover. Excavations in the 20th century revealed layers showing that urban life in the city had literally continued on top of the ancient structure.
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