Roman theater - Gubbio

This large edifice dates from the 1st century BC and bears witness to the town’s importance during Roman times. The numerous excavations and restorations carried out from the late 1800s until now have brought to light inscriptions and excellent mosaics. The theater stands on the plain and is built from squared, rusticated blocks of limestone. Restored for the most part, the structure’s lower arcades and part of the upper arcades have been preserved. It is periodically used for classical drama performances.

Located at the northern limits of the ancient town, the building is built from squared, rusticated blocks of limestone. It originally had two tiers of arcades, of which the lower tier and some arches of the upper gallery remain standing. The ruins of walls in opus reticulatum are found in the corridors of the vomitories.

The cavea is divided into four wedges, and the strips without seats were probably filled by wooden stairs.

The floor of the orchestra, paved with limestone, channeled rainwater into a large cistern underneath the pulpitum. The frons scaenae has two rectangular side niches and a semicircular central niche. Pieces of the architectural decoration are kept in the Civic Museum (Palazzo dei Consoli). The museum also holds the remains of an Augustan inscription that refers to repairs done by the town’s magistrate, Cneus Satrius Rufus, who “…at his own expense did the roof of the basilicas, fastened the roof beams with iron, paved the floor with stone…”