180 Years
of history
The origins
Designed by the Lecco-based architect Giuseppe Bovara and built in the Neoclassical style between 1843 and 1844, the Teatro della Società was inspired by Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. It features a façade adorned with pilasters, Ionic capitals, and a pediment.
The project was promoted for the ‘EI Pràa’ site, a large open space between the Caldone and the historic Albergo della Croce di Malta. This site was granted by the Lecco Town Council following a request made in June 1823 by eleven of the fourteen municipalities of the former parish of Lecco, who wanted to provide the town with a theatre. A company comprising members of the upper middle class and the local nobility was formed, and they decided to purchase a box for their sole and exclusive use.
The interior features three tiers of boxes, separated by poplar columns and adorned with gilded papier-mâché decorations on the bands, the work of woodcarver Giacomo Mattarelli. The vaulted ceiling of the theatre hall was frescoed with mythological figures, cherubs, and festoons in soft shades of blue and pink. Andrea Mantegazza painted the tempera curtain depicting Azzone Visconti's entry into Lecco. This curtain has been in use since the theatre's inauguration on 23 October 1844 with a performance of Gaetano Donizetti's opera Anna Bolena. The foyer is particularly impressive, featuring an inlaid wooden floor.
Modifications over time
The Teatro della Società underwent numerous alterations over the years. In 1884, a wing was built on the front left side in the Umbertine style, designed by engineer Riccardo Badoni and modified by engineer Attilio Bolla.
It was closed from 1951 to 1967 due to failing to meet new regulations for public entertainment venues and was restored between 1967 and 1969 based on a design by architect Giovanni Rigoli. This involved removing the café veranda and the cast-iron canopy above the three main doors, as well as demolishing the apse. Tragically, the frescoes adorning the theatre hall's vaulted ceiling were lost during this work, having been obscured by a layer of asbestos. Consequently, in 1979, the municipality commissioned the painter Orlando Sora to repaint the ceiling, creating an acrylic painting depicting the stages of life on the asbestos substrate.
From 1969 to 1984, it was entrusted to an Administrative Commission appointed by the council, which furnished the foyer's three rooms with fine furniture, antiques, and portraits of illustrious Lecco residents. It remained closed from 1986 to 1995 for further refurbishment and extraordinary maintenance work, carried out by the municipal administration, which had taken over its full management during the 1986–1987 period.
It reopened in 1995 with provisional approval for a total capacity of 462 seats, a figure that was reduced to 395 in 2016. Due to the need for further work to ensure the building's safety and preserve its artistic heritage, it closed again on 31 May 2017.
A new chapter
After more than eight years of restoration work, the Teatro della Società once again welcomed the people of Lecco to its rediscovered, restored, and fully safe premises on 29 November 2025.
Meanwhile, at the behest of the local council, the Fondazione Teàrte Lecco was also established. This new organisation, fuelled by the passion of private entities, helped give the city a memorable reopening and was involved in organising the 2026 Season of Emotions, the first since the reopening.
Thanks to this new organisation and the structural work carried out on the building, the Teatro della Società has once again become a landmark for Lecco, driven by the same passion for the arts as its original founders.
