Teatro Romano di Trieste

Amphitheater Trieste, Italy

The Roman theater of Trieste is located in Trieste at the foot of the San Giusto hill, in the very center of the city, on the edge of the old city, between via Donota and via del Teatro Romano. The construction of the theater is dated to the end of the 1st century BC. and expanded in the early 2nd century AD. at the behest of Quinto Petronio Modesto, a procurator and flamen of Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traiano. At the time of its construction, the theater was located outside the city walls and by the sea, which at that time reached as far as that area. Depending on the various sources, between 3,500 and 6,000 spectators could be accommodated on its steps, also built using the natural slope of the hill. It was probably built at the behest of Quinto Petronio Modesto from Trieste, procurator of the emperor Trajan, mentioned in various inscriptions, who according to other sources instead only oversaw the renovations. Over the centuries the theater was then hidden by the houses that were built above it. Considered lost, it was identified in 1814 by the architect Pietro Nobile, but it was only brought to light in 1938, during the demolition of a part of the old city. The statues and inscriptions found in the excavations are kept in the Tergestino Lapidarium in the Castle of San Giusto in the Civic Museum of the Castle. Nowadays it is still occasionally used for open-air summer shows.