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3 - LATIN THEATER Description
The Latin Theater is a 'mythical' building of Villa Adriana which all the antiquarian sources speak of without actually having ever seen it.
According to the plans of Contini (1668) and Piranesi (1781) it must have been located just beyond the Palaestra, across a small river. Contini describes the stage, proscenium and orchestra, and a rear portico; Piranesi roughly copies his plan but marks as visible and certain only two walls filled in black, the rest is hypothetical.
No trace of it has ever been seen on the ground, and we don't know where Contini got his information from.
Recent archaeological surveys carried out by the Pablo Olavide University of Seville (Spain) with prof. Rafael Hidalgo Prieto found no traces of buildings in this area.
The case of the Teatro Latino is a type of example of incorrect information handed down for centuries without verifying on the spot.
It is not open to the public.