The Teatro Farnese of Parma, the monumental court theatre of the Dukes of Parma and Piacenza, is today part of the Galleria Nazionale.
Commissioned by Ranuccio I in 1618 to celebrate the visit of Cosimo II de' Medici, it was designed by Giovan Battista Aleotti, known as l'Argenta, within the Palazzo della Pilotta.
Inaugurated in 1628 for the wedding of Odoardo Farnese and Margherita de' Medici, the theatre experienced a long decline after 1732, culminating in its near-total destruction during the Allied bombing in 1944.
Between 1956 and 1960, it was faithfully reconstructed using recovered original materials.