Teatro Niccolini

The Teatro Niccolini, the oldest theatre in Florence, was inaugurated in 1658 as the venue for the theatre company ‘Accademia degli Infuocati’. Originally, the name was ‘Teatro del Cocomero’ because it was situated on Via del Cocomero, now Via Ricasoli. In 1860, the name was changed again to honour the famous playwright, Giovan Battista Niccolini. In 1888, it was the first theatre in Tuscany to have electric lighting.

As cinema became popular, the Niccolini was converted into a movie theatre until the 1970s, when the owners founded the Granteatro Company, active for about fifteen years. This company re-established the function of theatre of the Niccolini and produced a series of memorable seasons. In 1995, it was closed because damaged and unusable and in 2007, the new owner launched a major refurbishment project for the structure, which was completed at the end of 2015, when the theatre finally re-opened.