Construction work is underway at the Bologna opera house, the Comunale, which from next February 14 will bring its artistic activities “home” after four seasons hosted at other venues in the city, while the historic venue was (and is) undergoing major renovation works funded by the Municipality, through its own funds, regional, state and European funds, for a total of about 20 million euros. The new opera season (nine titles, seven of which in the rediscovered Sala Bibiena) will therefore start on March 2, in a theater that is new not only in structure but also in its offerings and organization.
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The new Teatro Comunale
Not only physical construction sites are underway, but also vision and content projects, explains superintendent Elisabetta Riva who, since her appointment in mid-2025, has given a strongly managerial and entrepreneurial approach to the management of the opera foundation. “My goal, during the five years of my term, is to increase the foundation’s sources of income, opening more to supporters and private sponsors, without betraying our identity as a cultural and artistic institution, but opening up to new experiments and new activities, which also allow us to make our theater more accessible and more international, increasing the audience of young people and spectators from abroad,” explains Riva.
Budget balance
She has set to work, together with the steering committee, in this direction. The 2025 budget closed with a production value of 26.4 million euros (+5.5% compared to 2024) and a profit of 1.18 million, a significant improvement compared to the 1.6 million deficit of the previous year, bringing the foundation back to economic balance. During 2026, the number of spectators also increased, growing by 6.7% in the first six months compared to the same period in 2025, with a particularly interesting figure for under 18s, almost doubled (+99%).
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But above all, the new management has given a strong boost to fundraising. “When I arrived, the contribution from private sources, including donations and sponsors, was about 2.3 million. This year we are already at about 2.7 million thanks to the new projects launched,” explains the superintendent.
Three fundraising projects
Two projects are linked to the theater construction site (“Cantiere Itaca”) and therefore have a deadline: the first concerns the refurbishment of offices and catering area and is funded by Alfasigma, a historic supporter of the Comunale, with a grant of 1 million. The second (also around one million euros) concerns the renovation of the internal hall, the boxes, the vault and the portico, and involves six patrons: Pelliconi, Alfasigma, Banca di Bologna, Reekep, IMA and Stefano Golinelli.
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