Teatro Cilea

The earthquake of 1908 wrecked Reggio Calabria along with Messina across the strait, and the Real Teatro Borbonio of 1818 — by then the Teatro Garibaldi — was damaged past saving and pulled down. Its replacement opened in 1931 and took the name of Francesco Cilea, the Calabrian composer born along the coast at Palmi. With about 1,500 seats it is the largest theatre in the region. After a long closure it returned to work in 2014, its season running through opera, symphonic concerts, dance and drama, while the civic picture gallery occupies the floor above the foyer.