Bologna's new Municipal Theatre: here's the fundraising campaign to relaunch the theater.

Bologna, November 10, 2025 – The arrival in Itaca – that is, the reopening of the precious historic headquarters of the Comunale di Bologna , with a major event – ​​will take place on February 14, 2027. The journey, however, is not over yet: some work will continue, starting with those on the stage tower, and above all, the dialogue between the Opera House and the city must continue to relaunch the theater as a cultural institution and bring it out of troubled waters (or at least from the "floating" mentioned in the summer by Mayor Matteo Lepore).

For this reason, today Superintendent Elisabetta Riva presented a novel fundraising and membership project for a renovation "not just of the building, but of the content." How? With "a new model of cultural patronage " (through Art Bonus, with a 65% tax credit), without "handouts." A genuine call to local businesses, therefore, to invest in the theater's future. And while the Municipality has so far allocated €20 million for construction (including €6 million for the fly tower), in view of the long-awaited return to the center in 2027, €1.9 million is still needed for further renovations of the spaces dedicated to the public: from the portico in Piazza Verdi to the elegant Rossini and Respighi foyers, from the Gluck rotunda to the boxes and seats.

This is for the container. Broadening the horizon, however, the Theater has the "need" to raise one million a year (between 2025 and 2028) for the renewal of the artistic content and the management aspect . Hence the membership titled I 72 Nosto i. The Circle of Return , again playing on the Homeric theme. The 72 "heroes," successful companies, citizens, and merchants, are called to participate in the campaign—which has the slogan "I only have my home there , " from a song by Lucio Dalla—which will be divided into four levels of donation: from helmsmen (150,000 euros) to sailors (15,000). And while awaiting a possible contribution from the Region, the entire "Cantiere Itaca" will be presented to businesses with a series of events.

Starting with the first, today, in collaboration with Confindustria and Legacoop, with the Honorary Committee for fundraising led by Marco Checchi , CEO of the Pelliconi Group. The reference models, "of synergy between public and private," are the Verona Arena and the Donizetti Theatre in Bergamo. Are these comparable to Bologna? "We want to foster a sense of participation," Riva says, adding that the redevelopment of Piazza Verdi is also a "fundamental issue, on which we must work jointly." Meanwhile, Alfasigma has already committed one million euros to the renovation of the offices, including the construction of an elevator.

The project launch was also an opportunity to take stock of the (first) construction site progress that led to the closure of the Sala del Bibiena in 2022 and the move to the Nouveau, in the Fiera: from the complicated demolition of the historic water tower to the ongoing construction of the new building that will house the entrance on Via del Guasto.

The new ticket office will also be located here (the cloakroom will be moved to the original one due to space constraints), a bookstore, a bistro open to students and tourists (the call for proposals is expected by May 2026), a guided tour desk, and a new terrace. The entrance for performances will remain in Piazza Verdi. Architect Orioli 's project has also been supplemented over the months by improvements to the carpentry, choir rehearsal room, and tailoring, as well as energy efficiency improvements. A separate issue is the fly tower, for which "we are conducting structural surveys," Riva continues. The complex engineering project will be completed during the summer closures of 2027 and 2028. This, then, is the massive project for which €20 million has already been allocated. But now the ball is in the private hands.