San Carlo Theatre: A Beacon of World Excellence and Pride for Naples

«The San Carlo Theatre, a world-class excellence and a source of pride for our city». Words by Gaetano Manfredi, mayor of Naples and president of the San Carlo Foundation, a symbol of Neapolitan culture, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, featured in the "Storie in Comune" column of the Anci magazine. Manfredi emphasizes that the San Carlo: «Is the oldest opera house in Europe: built by the will of King Charles III of Bourbon, it was inaugurated on November 4, 1737, on his name day, as a place for intellectuals, writers, and musicians, with the intent of enhancing the city with a theatre worthy of the importance of the royal power. Destroyed by a fire on the night of 1816, the then reigning Ferdinand I of Bourbon commissioned the work to architects who rebuilt it as it was, indeed, more sumptuous than before. Thus wrote Stendhal in 1817, on the day of the inauguration «the Royal Theatre San Carlo, where the eyes are dazzled and the soul is enraptured». Today, March 27, marks the World Theatre Day, established by the International Theatre Institute, an event that has been celebrated annually since 1962, with the goal of «Encouraging international exchanges in the field of knowledge and practice of the performing arts, stimulating creation and broadening cooperation among theatre people, raising public awareness to consider artistic creation in the field of development, deepening mutual understanding to participate in the strengthening of peace and friendship among peoples and to associate with the defense of the ideals and purposes defined by UNESCO». For Manfredi, «World Theatre Day represents an opportunity to remember the value of theatre for communities as a place of gathering, active engagement between actor and audience, and an essential cultural stronghold for the development of communities. The San Carlo is not only an excellence for its long artistic history but also for the role it still plays at both national and international levels».