Teatro Ariston

Teatro Ariston is a cinema, theatre and live-events venue in Sanremo, Liguria, Italy. Although it operates as a multipurpose entertainment building, its public identity is closely associated with the Sanremo Music Festival, Italy’s leading annual popular-music competition. The Ariston has hosted the festival since 1977, making it one of the country’s most recognizable television and music venues. The site’s development began with Aristide Vacchino, who acquired the land in the 1940s. Construction started in 1953, and the completed theatre opened in 1963. The building was designed by architects Marco Lavarello and Dante Datta, with engineering contributions from Franco Ravera, Angelo Frisa and Gino Sacerdote. From the outset, the Ariston combined cinema exhibition with theatrical and public-event functions rather than serving as a single-purpose concert hall. The venue’s national prominence grew sharply when it became the home of the Sanremo Music Festival in 1977. The festival had been established in 1951 and was originally staged at the Salone delle Feste of the Casino of Sanremo. Its move to the Ariston connected the theatre with one of the most important annual events in Italian broadcasting and popular culture. The festival’s televised performances, competing songs and surrounding media coverage have made the venue a recurring national symbol of Italian music. The Ariston has not hosted every edition in its history. In 1990, the festival moved temporarily to the new flower market in Valle Armea, in the Bussana area of Sanremo. The change was related to capacity requirements and restoration and expansion work at the theatre. The Ariston nevertheless remained involved in events connected with that edition. Its broader program has included cinema screenings, theatrical performances, concerts, award ceremonies and television productions. Other recurring events associated with the venue include the Premio Tenco, an annual Italian songwriting award and festival. The theatre also hosted the Premio regia televisiva, sometimes known as the Oscar TV, until 2014. Television programs staged or broadcast from the Ariston have included the first two editions of Rai 1’s Ti lascio una canzone in 2008 and 2009, Sanremo Young in 2018 and 2019, and the 2021 edition of PrimaFestival. Since the 1980s, it has also hosted the Domenica in special dedicated to the latest Sanremo Music Festival, traditionally broadcast the day after the festival final. The Vacchino family continues to own the theatre. In 2017, the family bought a four-storey building next to the Ariston as part of an expansion plan. The intended uses included additional dressing rooms, meeting rooms and logistical facilities, supporting the venue’s ability to accommodate large-scale broadcasts and live productions. The Ariston therefore remains both a working cinema and theatre and a nationally prominent event platform, with its strongest cultural association coming from the Sanremo Music Festival.

Teatro Ariston is a cinema and theatre in Sanremo, Italy, whose modern history is closely linked to the Sanremo Music Festival. The venue’s origins date to the 1940s, when Aristide Vacchino acquired the land on which the theatre would later be built. Construction began in 1953. The architectural design was attributed to Marco Lavarello and Dante Datta, while Franco Ravera, Angelo Frisa and Gino Sacerdote contributed engineering expertise. The completed building opened in 1963. The Ariston was conceived as a multipurpose entertainment venue. Its activities have included cinema exhibition, theatrical performances, concerts and other public events. This combination allowed it to function as a permanent entertainment institution in Sanremo rather than solely as a seasonal festival site. The theatre became nationally prominent in 1977, when it began hosting the Sanremo Music Festival. Founded in 1951, the festival had previously taken place at the Salone delle Feste of the Casino of Sanremo. The move to the Ariston gave the event a new long-term home and helped establish the theatre as a recurring setting for Italian television, music competition and celebrity culture. The festival’s association with the building has remained the central element of the Ariston’s public profile. There was a significant temporary interruption in 1990. That year, the festival was held at the new flower market in Valle Armea, in the Bussana area of Sanremo. The relocation reflected both the capacity requirements of the production and work involving restoration and expansion at the Ariston. The theatre continued to host other activities connected with that festival edition, preserving its involvement even while the main broadcasts took place elsewhere. The Ariston’s event calendar has extended beyond Sanremo. It hosts the annual Premio Tenco and formerly hosted the Premio regia televisiva, also called the Oscar TV, until 2014. It has served as a broadcast or production venue for the first two editions of Ti lascio una canzone in 2008 and 2009, Sanremo Young in 2018 and 2019, and the 2021 edition of PrimaFestival. Since the 1980s, it has also been used for the Domenica in program dedicated to the most recent Sanremo Music Festival. This program is traditionally broadcast on the day after the festival final. Ownership has remained with the Vacchino family. In 2017, the family purchased an adjacent four-storey building as part of an expansion project. The planned additional facilities included dressing rooms, meeting rooms and logistical areas, reflecting the operational demands of large television productions and live events. The Ariston consequently remains an active cinema and theatre while also serving as a durable cultural landmark of Sanremo and a major Italian broadcast venue.

• 2021

  PrimaFestival edition broadcast from the Ariston

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre served as the broadcast venue for the 2021 edition of PrimaFestival.

• 2018

  Sanremo Young uses the venue

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The Ariston hosted the television talent program Sanremo Young, which also returned in 2019.

• 2017

  Adjacent property acquired

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The Vacchino family purchased a neighboring four-storey building to support an expansion of the theatre’s operational facilities.

• 2014

  Premio regia televisiva association ends

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre’s hosting of the Premio regia televisiva, also known as the Oscar TV, continued through 2014.

• 2008

  Ti lascio una canzone begins Ariston broadcasts

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The Ariston hosted the first edition of the Rai 1 television program Ti lascio una canzone.

• 1990

  Festival temporarily relocates

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The Sanremo Music Festival was held at the Valle Armea flower market because of capacity requirements and work at the theatre.

• 1977

  First Sanremo Music Festival hosted at the Ariston

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The Ariston became the principal venue of the Sanremo Music Festival, a role that defined its national reputation.

• 1963

  Teatro Ariston opens

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  The completed cinema and theatre opened in Sanremo.

• 1953

  Construction begins

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the theatre began, following plans associated with architects Marco Lavarello and Dante Datta and several engineers.

• 1940

  Land acquired for the future theatre

  [1]Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org

  Aristide Vacchino acquired the land on which Teatro Ariston was later constructed.

A multipurpose Italian cinema and theatre with a particularly strong position as the long-running televised home of the Sanremo Music Festival.

• Cinema · 1963

  Cinema screenings

  Cinema exhibition is one of the Ariston’s core functions. The venue opened as a combined cinema and theatre and has continued to operate as an entertainment space alongside its high-profile festival and television uses.

• Live entertainment · 1963

  Live theatre and performances

  The Ariston provides a stage for theatrical performances, concerts and other live events. Its multipurpose design allows the building to support cultural programming outside the Sanremo festival season.

• Music festival and television event · 1977

  Sanremo Music Festival

  The Sanremo Music Festival is the Ariston’s flagship event association. Hosted at the theatre since 1977 apart from a temporary 1990 relocation, the festival brings together live performances, a national song competition and extensive television coverage.

• Music awards and festival

  Premio Tenco

  The annual Premio Tenco is another important recurring event staged at the Ariston. Its focus on Italian songwriting complements the venue’s broader role in the country’s music and cultural calendar.

• Television venue · 1980

  Television production and broadcast facilities

  The theatre accommodates television programs, specials and award events. Productions associated with the venue include Ti lascio una canzone, Sanremo Young, PrimaFestival and the Domenica in special linked to the Sanremo Music Festival.

• 2017

  Expand adjacent operational facilitiesStrategy

  Background

  Large-scale televised festivals and live productions require additional backstage, meeting and logistics capacity beyond the theatre auditorium itself.

  Action taken

  The Vacchino family purchased a four-storey building next to the theatre as part of an expansion project.

  Aftermath

  The planned uses included new dressing rooms, meeting rooms and logistics areas, strengthening the venue’s ability to support major productions.

  Source

• 1990

  Temporary relocation of the Sanremo festivalOther

  Background

  The Ariston required restoration and expansion work, while the festival production also needed greater capacity.

  Action taken

  The 1990 Sanremo Music Festival was staged at the flower market in Valle Armea, in the Bussana area of Sanremo.

  Aftermath

  The theatre remained connected to other activities surrounding that edition, and its long-term role as the festival venue continued afterward.

  Source

• 1977

  Adopt the Sanremo Music Festival as a recurring venueStrategy

  Background

  The Sanremo Music Festival had previously been held at the Casino of Sanremo. Moving the event to the Ariston created a long-term connection between the theatre and Italy’s most prominent televised music festival.

  Action taken

  The Ariston began hosting the festival in 1977 and continued to serve as its main venue, apart from the temporary relocation in 1990.

  Aftermath

  The association made the theatre nationally recognizable and expanded its role from a local cinema and theatre into a major Italian broadcast and music venue.

  Source

1. 1Teatro Aristonen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Teatro Ariston official websitearistonsanremo.com