Rome Opera House (Teatro Costanzi): programme, tickets and tour

Updated on October 5, 2026

The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, which Romans still call the Costanzi, stands on piazza Beniamino Gigli, near Termini station. Opened in 1880, it is where Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana was first performed in 1890 and Puccini's Tosca in 1900. The opera house stages its season of opera, ballet and concerts, with its own ballet company, and also offers guided tours of the theatre lasting about an hour, in Italian and English. In summer 2026, the open-air performances took place at the Circo Massimo, from 29 June to 31 July, rather than at the Baths of Caracalla, which are under works.

Highlights

Piacentini's façade

The theatre received its present sober white façade from the architect Marcello Piacentini, who transformed it in the late 1920s. The entrance, under a portico, opens onto piazza Beniamino Gigli.

The Italian-style auditorium

The auditorium, with its boxes, gallery and painted ceiling, is part of the tour; seen from the stage, it shows the scale of the theatre and the work of the stagehands.

The foyer and the museum room

Tours go through the foyer, the stalls, the royal box, the stage machinery, the gallery, the frescoed vault and a small museum room on the history of the theatre.

Tosca in Rome

The plot of Tosca is set in Rome, in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Palazzo Farnese and Castel Sant'Angelo. Seeing the work where it was first performed is one of the most sought-after opera experiences in the city.

The Circo Massimo in summer

In summer 2026, the theatre presented six performances of Aida, a Roberto Bolle and Friends gala, Romeo and Juliet and Carmina Burana at the Circo Massimo, at 9pm (9:30pm for Carmina Burana). Tickets ranged from €15 to €170.

Practical info

Tips

The theatre's box office, on piazza Beniamino Gigli, is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday from 9am to 1:30pm. Guided tour: €15 full price, €8 for under-14s, €10 for Rome residents, to be bought at the box office, subject to availability; it may be cancelled because of rehearsals or productions. For a performance, book on the theatre's official website, and for the most popular evenings, as soon as sales open. Smart dress is the norm in the evening, though not compulsory. Prices and hours recorded in October 2026: the programme changes every season.