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Wonder
Wonder  }  Theatre

Apollo Theater

Mondavio's pride and hidden treasure

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Where is

Marche

Piazza Giovanni della Rovere, 61040 Mondavio PU, Italia (272m s.l.m.)

Directions
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What it is and where it is

A long, narrow room is expanded by the use of color: the light wood of the floor is diluted in the two bands of faux marble leading up to the first order of boxes. These are adorned with a few light, almost ethereal figures. Plant and animal elements create graceful movement against the light and bright background. Higher up, the third order, with its plant festoons leads to the ceiling. A bright blue edged in red is interrupted by a veil of the finest lace. It is as if a grandmother had patiently embroidered an elaborate bridal veil for her favorite granddaughter.

Why it's special

It is the Apollo Theater. A true delight nestled among the buildings of Mondavio. This building, however, was not born with the function we know today. Looking closely at its structure, in fact, one notices something strange: it is a very narrow and elongated room, for a theater! In fact, a small church once stood here. Its nave was converted to an auditorium, its apse to a stage, and so it was that sacred services were changed to secular performances.

A bit of history

The little church of St. FIlippo Neri appears to date back to the 15th century. Today its general structure and crypt survive. Around 1789 the church, by then deconsecrated, was converted into a theater. Nearly a century later the structure was deemed old and unsuitable for the taste in vogue. Thus began the restorations that gave it the appearance we can admire today. In 1947 it was designated as a movie theater, but a few years later it closed due to unfit for use. Work was carried out in the 1980s that allowed it to reopen to the public. Today it has returned to being the lively theater that Mondavio loves so much.

Trivia

The Apollo Theater was supposed to be the center of the village's cultural life, and not only because of the theatrical performances. In fact, it seems that originally the floor of the stalls was mounted on a mechanism that allowed it to be raised to the same level as the stage. This created one large surface, perfect for hosting dancing parties.

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Comune di Mondavio

The origins of the theater are late 18th century. The building was carved out of the interior of the former 15th-century church of St. Philip Neri. However, neither the architect who designed the theater nor the one who directed the extension work is known.

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