Olimpico Theatre

The Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre"), in Vicenza, is the oldest surviving enclosed theater in the world. When it was constructed in 1580-1585, it was the first purpose-built theatre in Europe in over a thousand years. The theatre was the final masterpiece designed by Andrea Palladio, the greatest architect of the Italian Renaissance, and was not completed until after his death. The trompe-l'œil onstage scenery, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon, was installed in 1585 for the very first performance held in the theater, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence. The Teatro Olimpico is, along with the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta and the Teatro Farnese in Parma, one of only three Renaissance theaters remaining in existence. Both these theaters were based, in large measure, on the Teatro Olimpico. Since 1994, the Teatro Olimpico, together with other Palladian buildings in and around Vicenza, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto".