The history of the Teatro Massimo begins following two events that wiped out Cagliari’s two most important theaters: the 1942 fire that destroyed the Politeama and the terrible 1943 bombing that devastated the Civic Theater. Therefore, between 1944 and 1947, the Massimo Theater was realized. The project was prepared by two young architects from Cagliari, Oddone Devoto and Emilio Stefano Garau, and envisioned the creation of Massimo from the walls of an old steam mill owned by the Merello entrepreneurs.
It enabled a still provincial city to appreciate the greats of opera, such as Maria Callas, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, or the great theater performers. Performances continued until the 1970s, then due to the Merello family’s desire to demolish the theater there was a long hiatus. In March 1981 it reopened for the performance of a play, but it was a partial reopening with the inability to use the stage for more complex shows. The Maximus thus continued its activities until the ruinous fire of 1982, which marked the end of the theater.
It was restored and inaugurated by the City of Cagliari in February 2009. During restoration work, nine cisterns from the Roman period were discovered.
