Time World's Greatest Places

Time, World's Greatest Places, 22 August 2019

(read the Italian translation of the article)

Crossing the threshold of Rimini's Teatro Galli has been acclaimed one of the world's 100 must-do in 2019. The acknowledgement comes from the famous American magazine, Time, which in the second edition of its travel list dedicated to the World's Greatest Places, also included the Rimini theatre, which reopened on October 28th last year.

In the special edition, Time draws up a list of 100 diverse places in the world, classified into various categories (museums, parks, restaurants and hotels) and selected by journalists, correspondents and experts in the sector. The selection criteria factored in quality, originality, degree of innovation and sustainability. Apropos Teatro Galli, the editor recalls its history by quoting the bombings that destroyed it in the Second World War, the reopening after its renovation and the archaeological finds, which bestow even greater value on the building. In the ranking, there are only two Italian experiences mentioned: in addition to Teatro Galli, Time suggests the Castle of Santa Severa in Santa Marinella.

"An unexpected acknowledgement that really makes us proud - is the comment of Mayor Andrea Gnassi and Councillor Giampiero Piscaglia - Seeing Rimini and its theatre included among the travel experiences not to be missed is further proof of the cultural rebirth that the city is experiencing and the attention that this new direction arouses in the international media. In the past few months, Forbes has chosen Rimini as one of the most interesting destinations for 2019, the New York Times has included the city and Fulgor cinema in the prestigious list of '52 places to go', and in 2018 Rimini was first in the 'Best in Europe' list compiled by Lonely Planet. These international awards are not only medals to wear proudly on our chest, they also show how investments in urban transformation, culture and identity are key to winning the challenges of the future. It goes without saying that, collectively, all these certificates of excellence and awards for the city and its endeavours boost Rimini's international standing, with consequent beneficial effects also on tourist appeal. We are sure that this standing will raise the bar in terms of quality next year with the opening of the new museum of contemporary art, as well as the first two sections of Parco del Mare and the Fellini Museum".

Ten months in the spotlight

So, Teatro Galli is definitely an unmissable experience. And in less than a year thousands of people have already witnessed the rebirth of this jewel, originally designed by Luigi Poletti on October 28th, whose doors opened after 75-year long wait. "This was possible thanks to substantial programming in terms of the number of first-rate events, but above all for the multiple opportunities taking full advantage of the theatre's space - underlines Councillor Piscaglia - symphonic music, opera, prose, dance, as well as meetings, guided tours with the added option of enjoying an aperitif after the tour through the theatre halls. We consider the theatre not just 4 walls, but an authentic "piazza", a place to meet up and socialise, where culture is created, an experience".

Since the inauguration, an estimated 40,000 people have registered to attend the 'official' programme of events which includes 11 concerts of the Sagra Musicale Malatestiana, 3 operas, 28 shows in the prose season, in addition to four exceptional evenings organised to celebrate the opening of the theatre, with exceptional guests such as Cecilia Bartoli, Roberto Bolle and Valery Gergiev at the helm of the Mariinsky orchestra of St. Petersburg. Also participating were Svetlana Zakharova and Vadim Repin, of the Orchestra of the Teatro Regio of Turin and of the Comunale of Bologna, and the memorable concert of the Cherubini Orchestra led by maestro Riccardo Muti in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

The number of people who took part in the guided tours, which began in December, is close to ten thousand, and even the summer season registered high numbers (800 people on the 14th of August alone).

In addition, the theatre hosted a variety of events organised by associations, institutions, and individuals, from the recent performances of the Rimini Meeting, to the Nureyev Dance Competition and the Ulyssess festival. The theatre was also the setting for the last TV commercial launched on Rai Uno during the Sanremo Song Festival.

Time Magazine, founded in New York in 1923, was the first weekly magazine to be published in the United States and is still the most popular in the world with about 2.5 million copies distributed in various countries and over 17 million readers in the United States alone. Not to mention the millions of contacts registered daily by the website. Time owes part of its notoriety to the special issue dedicated to the "person of the year" and to the different rankings that aim to capture the current state of affairs, such as the "100 most influential people in the world" which this year features our own Made in Italy, Chef Massimo Bottura. Starting last year, Time launched its World’s Greatest Places list recommended out of the ordinary experiences around the world.