Teatro Capranica, Historic theatre in Piazza Capranica, Rome, Italy.

Teatro Capranica sits within the Renaissance Palazzo Capranica on Piazza Capranica and features a U-shaped layout with six tiers of balconies decorated with ornamental details. The space is designed in a compact way, giving the hall a sense of intimacy despite its age and formal structure.

The hall opened in 1679 and became a major opera venue in Rome with numerous important premieres. In 1922 it was transformed into a cinema before shifting again to serve as an events venue in recent decades.

The theatre's name comes from the Capranica family, who owned the palazzo. In the 18th century it was Rome's leading public opera house, and Alessandro Scarlatti produced Telemaco, Marco Attilio Regolo and Griselda here between 1718 and 1721. In the 1750s Goldoni favoured it for stagings of his plays and wrote Pamela maritata expressly for the theatre in 1760.

The venue is located on Piazza Capranica in the Colonna district and is easily accessible on foot within Rome's historic center. Check ahead to see what events are scheduled, as the space now hosts a variety of performances and conferences.

The theatre had no street entrance until the 19th century: audiences reached it through a carpenter's workshop on the palazzo's ground floor, whose lease obliged him to close during the opera season and build a wooden staircase at his own expense. The hall was rebuilt in 1694 by Carlo Buratti with six tiers of 26 boxes.