Teatro Kursaal
Santalucia
The magnificent Kursaal Santalucia Theatre, an Art Nouveau gem, is located along the seaside promenade of Goffredo di Crollalanza, overlooking the gardens of Adua square and the monumental seafront of Bari. The theatre serves a dual purpose as both a cinema and a performance space, with apartments situated on the upper floors. On the outside, the glazed openings across the central section offer stunning views into the grand Giuseppina hall, which is decorated with high reliefs, stuccoes and frescoes crafted by brothers Mario and Guido Prayer from Torino, renowned interior decorators of their time.
Designed and built by Orazio Santalucia in 1924 in a Late Liberty style, Kursaal Santalucia mainly served as a cinema. After being closed for 10 years, two of which were dedicated to restoring the structure of the building, it reopened to the public in September 2021, thanks to restoration work managed by the Puglia Region and the Superintendency of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage of the City of Bari. Since then, it has reclaimed its role as a meeting place for both tourists and locals, hosting an array of cultural events, theatrical performances, festivals, exhibitions, concerts and private ceremonies.
Theatre hall
Technological innovation has allowed greater flexibility in spaces, particularly in the theatre room, with the auditorium currently housing over 400 seats. The hall comes with state-of-the-art instruments, including a raised stage and orchestra-level seating that can retract beneath the floor thanks to a specially designed automation system, allowing the venue to transform into a large space.