Overview
In its time it was just outside Beneventum, the Roman Theatre, while today it is located right in the middle of the town. The theatre is surrounded by ordinary residential districts, but the entrance is easy to find on Via Port'Arda. You can catch a glimpse of it from outside, even if you find it closed on arrival. Its size is rather impressive (there was space for ten thousand spectators) and its origins are truly ancient, as it dates from the early 2nd century and the time of the Emperor Hadrian. Even today, the theatre is still used by the Philharmonic orchestra of Benevento as a venue for classical music, and it also hosts other genres such as world music.
Over the centuries, the Theatre has lost the two orders of upper arches, but it is still approximately 90 m in diameter, with the cavea and stage still remaining from better days, along with the three monumental entrances. In the Middle Ages other buildings were built alongside, including the Church of St Mary of Truth at the left of the cavea. As early as the end of the 19th century, works were started to gradually free up the church from the cluster of homes that had been built around it, and a number of previously hidden structures were unearthed. The effort was certainly worth it.
