Majestic and immortal symbol of the Palladian art, enshrounded in its classic beauty the Olympic Theatre is one of the Palladio’s greatest masterpieces and one of the most important artistic heritages of the entire world. The Olympic Academy, founded in the year 1555 by 21 associates amongst whom ambassadors, artists, cardinals and Andrea Palladio himself, did not have doubts in choosing the great architect as the craftsman of an ideal theatre for classic recitals and for other cultural celebrations, nowadays an enduring heritage of the cultural community of Vicenza.

Palladio, deep connoisseur of ancient texts and their masterpieces, with the experience deriving from his previous splendid realizations and from familiarity with the Roman and national artistic life, began working on the prestigious site but, as is known, died some a short time after, in 1580, the same year the work was entrusted. In November of the same year the ceiling was nearly ready, however it was not concluded until four years later, except for the coronation of the statues on the balustrade at the top of the cavea.

After the master’s death his son Silla was supervising the works ,but later Vincenzo Scamozzi took over the entire project of Palladio, concluding it and creating the wonderful scene beyond the proscenium. As per the outline of the roman theatre, The Olympic theatre is formed of four parts: the cavea, the orchestra, the proscenium, meant as the public square of the Greeks, the agorà ", and the fixed scenes.

The front part of the scene forehead is opens through the great Arch of Triumph, and beyond the openings it is possible reach the streets of an imaginary Thebes from very evocative corners. The men who wanted this temple of art are present and seem to be looking after its eternal beauty, in the aulic clothes of warriors and senators of ancient Rome, while on the top of the arch triumph the reliefs with Hercole’s fatigues, mythical hero and symbol of human virtues.

The Olympic Theatre was inaugurated on 3rd March 1585, in occasion of the carnival. It was a clamorous and greatly desired event: in front of an immense and elegant cosmopolitan public, from all over the world, largely exceeding the capacity site (800 persons), the Greek tragedy par excellence, l’Edipo King of Sofocle, was represented and adapted for the occasion as Edipo the Tyrant.

Millions of spectators who had arrived in town, crowded the entrance of the theatre as from the early hours of the afternoon, but the show did not begin before one o’clock at night, preceded by a clarion call, drumrolls and even gun shots to emphasize the solemnity, and finished at five o’clock in the morning. Edipo the Tyrant of the Olympic was the last great show of the Italian Renaissance, and it never returned to the Palladian scene.