SUPPORTING HERITAGE: Brunello Cucinelli continues to champion art and history.

The Teatro Civico in the town of Norcia, severely damaged by the central Italy earthquake in 2016, reopened on Sunday afternoon after a restoration funded by designer Brunello Cucinelli and his family, in collaboration with the Municipality of Norcia.

Guests including the archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia, Monsignor Renato Boccardo; the mayor of Norcia, Giuliano Boccanera, and the president of the Umbria region, Stefania Proietti, attended the ceremonial ribbon-cutting. 

“The meticulous architectural and structural intervention stands, in our eyes, as a symbol of the steadfast identity of this marvelous town, which, after the wounds left by the earthquake, found within its industrious heart the reasons and the strength for renewal,” said Cucinelli, present at the ribbon-cutting.  “The ancient mystical soul of our beloved Umbria, silent and profound like its forests, finds here its truest expression.”

The restoration works, undertaken via the Art Bonus scheme, a tax credit initiative promoting private support for Italy’s public cultural heritage, were presented during the ceremony. 

The work focused on the structural consolidation of the entire building, including the acoustic and architectural enhancement of both the stalls and the gallery; the complete renewal of electrical, mechanical and heating systems; the replacement of seating, and the improvement of its seismic performance. The plasterwork and finishes were restored to match the original color palette and design.

The theater was originally built in 1876 to a design by the Perugian architect Domenico Mollajoli, was devastated by fire in 1952 and then reconstructed between 1975 and 1996. 

The ceremony was followed by a performance of “Lu Santo Jullàre Françesco” by the late Nobel Prize-winning playwright and actor Dario Fo and his wife, the late theater actress, playwright and political activist Franca Rame, dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi as the “jester of God.”

“Our family is honored to have been able to contribute to the rebirth of this place of culture, encounter, and art, a symbol of the love and esteem we hold for Norcia, its proud people, and its millennia-old heritage,” continued Cucinelli, whose namesake fashion brand’s headquarters are based in Solomeo, a one-and-a-half hour drive from Norcia.  

The Cucinelli family had previously supported the restoration of the Civic Tower, as well as the development of projects for the recovery of the structure of the “Castellina” and the Town Hall.