Step into the Teatro Regio in Parma, a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture. Built at the behest of Duchess Maria Luigia of Habsburg-Lorraine, the theatre opened in 1829 with Vincenzo Bellini's “Zaira.”

Admire the theater's façade, characterised by a colonnade with ionic capitals and a large thermal window. Enter the Foyer, adorned with two rows of four columns, and see the grills once used for heating the theatre.

Climb the staircase to the large salon called the ‘Ridotto’, where Maria Luigia’s throne was situated. Two large blown glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the tribunes for the dance orchestra overlook the large space.

Return to the foyer and enter the main body of the theatre through the door of honour. See the stalls area, four orders of boxes, and the gallery. Look up at the ceiling painted by Giovan Battista Borghesi with poets and dramatists painted in a circle around the great “astrolamp.”

Admire the theatre curtain, also the work of Borghesi, which depicts an allegory of wisdom with Minerva enthroned surrounded by Gods, nymphs, poets, and muses. Minerva is a portrait of Maria Luigia herself.

Above the curtain is the special clock ‘a luce’ which tells the time in five-minute intervals. On either side of the arch, see gilded busts of poets and composers.