The real fulcrum of Bari’s cultural life, the Petruzzelli theatre is an elegant building with Art Nouveau and Neoclassical styles that was built at the beginning of the twentieth century on Corso Cavour. Devastated by a fire in the nineties, its reconstruction has allowed modernization of the interior, while maintaining the classicist allure of the spaces.
The Umbertine style of the building is in harmony with the rest of the Murat village, the new part of the city. The theatre can accommodate up to 1,500 spectators and the rich artistic program is entrusted to the Petruzzelli Opera and Symphony Foundation.
The Petruzzelli is an Italian-style theatre. It had a frieze and an attic in which Pasquale Duretti’s concrete group “Apollo crowning the Music” was set. In 1899, Raffaele Armenise from Bari was commissioned to make the large curtain tarpaulin and, in 1901, the pictorial decoration of the dome. After the fire, many elements were reconstructed.
During its glorious years of theatrical and artistic performances it has hosted many great Italian and international artists such as Tito Schipa, Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Nureyev, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Liza Minnelli, Juliette Greco, Eduardo De Filippo, Riccardo Muti, Carla Fracci, Luciano Pavarotti, Giorgio Gaber.