The Teatro Berga, or Teatro di Berga, was the Roman theatre of Vicenza, Roman Vicetia, and stood beyond the river Retrone, in an area that is now part of the historic centre; today what remains of it is above all its shape, preserved by the street plan.
What to see
The theatre occupied the area now bounded by contrà Santi Apostoli, piazzetta San Giuseppe, contrà Porton del Luzzo, piazzetta Gualdi, contrà del Pozzetto and contrà Lioy, with the cavea facing south and the stage to the north; the route of contrà Porton del Luzzo follows the circular line of the cavea's outer perimeter. Little of the monument survives: the substructure walls of the cavea were partly incorporated into later buildings, dwellings that still stand. The complex comprised a southern part with the theatre proper and a vast porticoed area to the north, with an outer diameter of the cavea of about eighty-two metres and a capacity estimated at over five thousand spectators. The stage was faced with multicoloured marbles and adorned with columns and large marble statues celebrating the imperial Julio-Claudian family; some statues, found in 19th-century digs, are kept in the Museo naturalistico archeologico of Santa Corona. The theatre was built mainly of the stone from the Costozza quarries.
It was built toward the end of the 1st century BC in the area south-east of the centre, linked to the city by a bridge at the site of the present ponte San Paolo; near the cavea the road coming from Lonigo and the one coming from Costozza crossed. In the Claudian age the stage was enriched with further statues of members of the imperial family, and the theatre was used for shows until at least the 3rd century AD, as an inscription from Leptis Magna shows, recalling the honours paid in the theatre of Vicetia to the pantomime Marcus Septimius Aurelius Agrippa. The first historical mention of the building is a diploma of Emperor Otto III of 1001, by which he ceded its ownership to the bishop of Vicenza. In the second half of the 13th century it was used as a prison, then fell into ruin and dwellings were built over it. In the 16th century the remains were still well visible, so much so that Andrea Palladio was able to draw up a detailed plan of them, with the measurements he had taken personally.
Visiting
There is no archaeological site to visit: the theatre survives in the circular line of contrà Porton del Luzzo and in the walls incorporated into buildings, while the statues can be seen at the Museo di Santa Corona, whose hours and openings should be checked.
Our editors' tip
Walk contrà Porton del Luzzo letting the curve carry you: you are walking along the outer edge of a cavea that could hold over five thousand people.
