The Roman theatre of Anzio lies on the Santa Teresa plateau, a little north of the centre: today it is a residential area, but this was once the site of ancient Antium, of which few traces remain. Scholars link the building of the theatre to the colony of praetorian veterans that Nero, who was born at Antium, founded here in the second half of the first century AD.
What to see
The cavea, 30 metres in diameter, was divided into 11 wedge-shaped sectors and interrupted by a semicircular corridor, from which spectators reached the orchestra or, by two flights of steps, the upper rows. Behind the stage are traces of four rooms, probably used by the actors, and of a staircase that led to a balcony above the stage wall; just behind, a row of column bases is what remains of the portico where the audience sheltered from rain or sun. Very little of the upper structure survives, which makes it hard to know how many spectators it could hold.
Over its long history the theatre was not only a theatre. Once abandoned, it was used for firing pottery: at the end of the ring corridor the ground was dug about a metre and a half below the old floor and a kiln with small arches was installed, with a new floor of reused marble slabs, among which coins of the fifth and sixth centuries were found that date this phase. In the opposite side passage are the remains of a second, smaller kiln. Finally, some people were buried in the stage area.
Visiting
The theatre is in a residential district of Santa Teresa; research began with an excavation in the twenties of the twentieth century of which no records survive. How to visit should be checked with the municipality.
Our editors' tip
In the Santa Teresa area, next to the basilica, is also the Parco del Vallo Volsco, opened in 2017, with caves dug out and used in antiquity as shelters, stables or tombs; according to the sources entry is free and there are guided visits in summer, to be checked.
