Located in Piazza Verdi in Palermo, the Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, is the biggest opera house in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It was built in 1864, in order to promote the unification of Italy which occurred in 1861. Realized in the late-Renaissance style, the auditorium was planned for 3,000 people, but, in its current format, it seats 1,350, with 7 tiers of boxes rising up around an inclined stage, and shaped in the typical horseshoe style. The Theatre was finally completed in May 1897, twenty-two years after the laying of the foundation stone, the third largest opera house—and was inaugurated with a performance of Verdi’s Falstaff conducted by Leopoldo Mugnone. On a pop culture note, the final scenes of the film The Godfather Part III were filmed at the theatre.
