Benedett'8cento "Il derby dei teatri. Carlo Felice vs Gustavo Modena: due idee di città"

·1 hr 11 min·5 clips

Sara Rulli reveals how the Carlo Felice and Modena theaters embodied a clash between aristocratic and bourgeois visions of Genoa.

This episode is a recorded lecture from the Benedett'8cento series at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa. The host introduces Sara Rulli as the speaker for the evening. Rulli begins by framing the topic as a comparison between the Carlo Felice and Modena theaters, linking them to urban planning and social history. She first delves into the historical context of Genoa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, describing a city confined within its walls. The lecture details the urban transformations, including the creation of new streets like Strada Nuova and the Carrettabile Carlo Alberto. Rulli explains how the demolition of the San Domenico church and convent after 1797 created space for new development. She discusses early proposals by Andrea Tagliafichi for a public theater on that site. The focus then shifts to Carlo Barabino, who became the city architect and designed the Carlo Felice theater, inaugurated in the 1820s. Rulli analyzes Barabino's architectural plans, highlighting how the theater acted as a hinge between Genoa's historic core and new bourgeois areas. She notes the theater's social function, with box holders including both aristocrats and emerging industrialists. The second part of the lecture turns to San Piero d'Arena, a separate municipality until 1926. Rulli introduces architect Nicolò Bruno, who designed the Modena theater. She explains the theater was named for Gustavo Modena, a Mazzinian actor, contrasting with the Savoy-dedicated Carlo Felice. The construction, funded by local merchants and industrialists like soap factory owners, was rapid, from 1856 to 1857. Rulli describes Bruno's polychrome design and his later works, including the Politeama in Genoa and large-scale projects like the Ferrari-Galliera aqueduct. The lecture concludes by reflecting on how the 1926 creation of 'Great Genoa' absorbed independent municipalities like San Piero d'Arena, diluting some of these local identities. A brief Q&A touches on other historical dualisms within the metropolitan area.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Podcast di Palazzo Ducale di Genova