Teatro Biondo

The story

The Teatro Biondo was built on Via Roma, the new street then cutting through the old centre, and opened in 1903. It was commissioned by the Biondo brothers, Palermo businessmen, and designed by Nicolò Mineo in an eclectic style with Art Nouveau touches, in keeping with Ernesto Basile’s Palermo.

Unlike the Massimo, built for opera, the Biondo has always been a playhouse. The great Italian companies of the 20th century performed here, and since 1968 it has housed the city’s Teatro Stabile, which today produces its own seasons.

It later gained a smaller hall, the Sala Strehler.

Why it is worth it

From the street it is an elegant front among the palaces of Via Roma, but the interior is where it shines: the horseshoe hall with its boxes, the floral decoration, a city-theatre atmosphere that still works every night. If you are in Palermo during the season, an evening here shows you the city from another angle.