Teatro Palladium

Commissioned by the Istituto Case Popolari to house a Cinema-Theatre and a series of private dwellings on six floors and built between 1926 and 1927 by architect Innocenzo Sabbatini, the Teatro Palladium is the evocative gateway to Garbatella, a small suburb built on the model of English garden-cities, characterised by an eclectic mix of architectural styles, from Roman Baroque to Rationalism-Futurism.

In stark stylistic contrast to the formal and functional character of the previous buildings designed for social housing, the theatre, especially in its façade, recalls the majestic classical buildings inspired by the vestiges of ancient Rome, made famous in those years by the architect and archaeologist Italo Gismondi, author among other things of the famous Plastic of Rome, which, on a scale of 1:250, represents the city at the time of Constantine at the beginning of the 4th century.

One of the most innovative performance spaces for its time, the theatre has a front elevation that emphasises the circular shape of the auditorium which, enclosed by arches, columns and large rectangular windows, is crowned by a building housing private residences, in turn surmounted by a large tympanum.

Inside, a bold reinforced concrete structure supports a double gallery and the vaults of the roof positioned on beams that cross each other to form a star.

After years of decay, the Palladium was redeemed by the Università Roma Tre, restored and enhanced for a rich calendar of cultural and other events designed for the city. The theatre promotes an ideal of spectacle based on the training of students who, thanks to a series of initiatives, and by taking an active part in the various sectors of production and artistic management, can increase and deepen their disciplinary and professional skills acquired during their university studies in the various sectors of the performing arts, its organisation and communication.

Photo: Redazione Turismo Roma