The theater was inaugurated in 1813. In 1811 construction work began on a project by Arch. Giuseppe Cusi. From January 1, 2002 the management and all the activities passed to the AsLiCo.

The theater, open over 300 days a year, has an opera season, concerts, ballets, in which genres and contaminations alternate; the building is also home to the Theater Schools. The Competition for Young Opera Singers, which celebrated its 70th edition in 2019, was a springboard for some of the most applauded voices in history.

It holds a record for Opera Education (born 23 years ago), which is divided into 5 major macro-activities that include Opera Minus 9, Opera baby, Opera kids and Work tomorrow.

The theater is a historical site that can be visited and can be set up for different occasions, depending on the context (conferences, performances, etc.).