In the course of the centuries it was enriched by unique works of art, from the renaissance, the baroque, 18th century neoclassicism, still retaining, however, its town planning system which dates back to the XIV century, with the centre conceived as a trapeze.

The Arena Sferisterio by Ireneo Aleandri is precisely one of the top expressions of Italian neoclassicism. Founded in 1829 as a building for the game of «pallone al bracciale» (ball in arms, a game that became extinct with the unity of Italy and of which «tamburello» is a grandchild) the Sferisterio is a grand construction, the true symbol of Macerata.

A plaque still recalls the «100 maceratesi» who financed the work, of which Aleandri was chief. In 1921 the Sferisterio hosted for the first time a musical representation, thus becoming the second temple of «open-air» opera in Italy after the Arena in Verona. 

In the wide colonnade hemicycle there are 104 boxes and between the boxes and the arena 7.000 spectators can find place in the occasion of the exceptional opera shows that are set up in the summer every year, when the «Opera Season» is held. For information on the calendar for the 2002 edition: 

Don't miss in Macerata the Basilisk of the Madonna della Misericordia, the Municipal Art gallery and the Clock Tower, from the top of which you can see the Adriatic.

March.2002