In the Hall of the Palladian Basilica, a reconstruction of the scene from the Olympic Theatre is displayed, created in 1948 at almost life size to bring Oedipus Rex on tour around the world.
Designed by the theatre director Guido Salvini in 1948, Olimpichetto is an almost life-sized reconstruction of the frons scenae and the perspectives of the Olympic Theatre, made with lightweight materials and designed to be disassembled, transported, and reassembled. A scenographic machine of extraordinary refinement and quality, conceived to reproduce the unique atmosphere of the Palladian theatre in any location.
Its story intertwines with the desire for artistic and civil rebirth of a country and a city emerging from the ruins of conflict. After years of tours in Italy and abroad, in the early 2000s the structure was housed in municipal warehouses: its story fell into oblivion, and almost all memory of the Olimpichetto was lost.
Today, thanks to meticulous restoration and rigorous documentary investigation, the Olimpichetto comes back to life. Its rebirth in 2025 returns a precious fragment of the city's heritage and reaffirms, through theatre, the continuity of its cultural vocation.
Placing Olimpichetto in the Hall of the Palladian Basilica means restoring dignity and function to a unique element in the history of theatre, but also renewing the dialogue between two symbolic architectures of the city: the first and the last civic work by Palladio.
Open from Tuesday to Sunday and on extra dates.
