For 59 years, the Sferisterio has not only been the monumental symbol of Macerata – a city in the Marche region between the coast and the Sibiliini Mountains – but a real theatre, the only open-air theatre with boxes and the largest stage in Europe. The capacity today is about 2,500 spectators. In fact, the arena – built according to a design by Ireneo Aleandri with the support of Cento consorti – was inaugurated in 1829 “ad ornamento della città, a diletto pubblico” (to adorn the city, for public enjoyment) and was mainly intended for the ‘ball and bracelet’ game. In 1921 and 1922 the first opera productions and then from 1967 its definitive use as a theatre for Macerata Opera Festival, a festival that every summer attracts the most demanding melomaniac audience to applaud original proposals and prestigious casts. Every year, Aleandri’s 19th-century structure reveals itself to the public and artists as monumental yet intimate, guaranteeing perfect visibility and excellent acoustics. The General manager Flavio Cavalli and the Artistic director Paolo Gavazzeni guide the programming of the Macerata Opera Festival, realised by the Arena Sferisterio Association.