Roman Theatre of Teramo, Archaeological site in Teramo, Italy.
The Roman Theatre of Teramo is an ancient theatre with a semicircular auditorium approximately 78 meters in diameter. The structure was built with concrete supports and stone pillars, and featured an artistically designed stage with niches for performances.
Built in the Augustan age, the theatre stood at the western entrance of Interamnia Praetuttiorum, where the diverticulum of the via Caecilia entered the city; its stage decoration dates to 30 BC. In the Middle Ages it served as a quarry for the nearby cathedral. Francesco Savini identified the structure in the 20th century and dug four campaigns, funded from 1915, interrupted by the First World War. Demolition of the overlying Palazzo Adamoli began in 1934 and resumed in December 2021.
The theatre once served as a gathering place where the community came together for performances and public events. The decorated stage and tiered seating show how central this building was to social life in the ancient city.
The remains lie 2.5 to 3 metres below the present street level, between via Teatro Antico and via Luigi Paris, a few metres from the cathedral and the amphitheatre. Since December 2021 the two 19th-century palazzi above the orchestra and cavea have been dismantled floor by floor to avoid damaging the Roman structures; the project is scheduled to finish in 2027. Until then only the eastern section of the stage is exposed, so the site cannot be visited.
Among the preserved ruins are artistic details such as a Corinthian capital and cornices decorated with weapon motifs. These uncommon decorative elements reveal the skilled craftsmanship that went into such buildings in ancient times.
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