Cagliari, around the middle of the 18th century, did not yet possess a proper theater. In 1755, Eng. Saverio Belgrano of Famolasco proposed a plan to the Savoy government for the construction of a structure intended as a theater. This proposal was not approved by the government, but found the interest of the Cagliari nobleman Don Francesco Zapata, baron of Las Plassas, who, between 1764 and 1766, carried out the project. The theater, known as Teatro Las Plassas, soon assumed the name Teatro Regio. Its total capacity was about 1,000 spectators. The operation and maintenance of the theater became, over time, a considerable cost for the Zapata family, so much so that they undertook negotiations with the municipality for the sale concluded in 1831. In 1836 work began on demolishing the Belgrano Theater and building the new Cima Theater, now called the Civic Theater. During World War II, bombings in 1943 destroyed much of the Theater. The building, which has been abandoned and in a considerable state of disrepair for about seventy years, has been subjected by the city government to a restoration of the original architectural line of the hall, but without restoring its roof. The opening took place during the 2006 edition of Monumenti Aperti.
