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.

Festival 2024 will be the 60th edition of it, scheduled from 19 July to 11 August: the celebrations for this milestone intersect with the centenary of Puccini’s death, a composer whose operas have always been of great appeal at the Sferisterio – from the famous and irreverent edition of La bohème signed by Ken Russel in 1984 to the Abbiati awards of the National Association of Music Critics, linked to the 2012 edition of the same opera (which will be revived this year) directed by Leo Muscato and the 2017 Turandot conceived by ricci/forte.

The Macerata Opera Festival aims to develop both its international vocation and the identity component of the community. It is also proposed internationally as an attractor for cultural tourism and for a new revival of the city linked to the natural and historical beauty of the area.

To opt for a quota tickets for the performances of the Macerata Opera Festival 2024 with reserved prices for groups, cral, cultural associations or libraries write to

Rachele Beni – B2B
b2b@sferisterio.it
+39 3454201136