It is the largest apartment of the Guicciardini Farm (about 150 m2) and is dedicated to the art of theatre, a profession and passion shared by the whole Guicciardini family. Here you will find stories and memories of plays and shows, some of which made the history of the Italian theatre: playbills and photographs of artists who have performed at the Teatro dei Leggieri of San Gimignano or on stages in its squares, renewing one of the great Italian tradition that the city of San Gimignano has always supported with strong commitment.
The two-levels apartment consists of a large and bright living room, an equipped kitchen, two double bedrooms and a bathroom with bathtub. The window of the spacious bedroom on the top floor offers a view of the towers of San Gimignano, whereas the living room faces onto the characteristic alley Via Cellolese; the other bedroom overlooks on a small courtyard where an old well used for the collection of rain water is still visible. The apartment has an independent entrance from the aforementioned Via Cellolese. Teatro dei Leggieri, San Gimignano
The Theatre dei Leggieri was “carved-out” from the main room of the former Palazzo del Podestà, known as the Palace of the Clock. The earliest documents on it dates back to the 1537, when it was hired by a group of young people, performing there their own plays. At the end of the 18th century, they formed a theatre company named Accademia dei Leggieri, and started transforming the salon, received in perpetual use, into a real theatre (on the project of the Architect Francesco Marinelli ).
The new theatre was inaugurated in 1794, it had a horseshoe-shaped plant and 22 loges distributed on two orders in baroque style and precious stucco decorations, painted with tempera and gold. Hence, the new theatre grew to be the cultural centre of San Gimignano, hosting civic assemblies, conferences, theatre plays and concerts of local and foreign companies. Despite its modest size, important lyric operas were also staged. After being transformed in a refugees recovery during world war II, it was assigned to privates and became a cinema until 1953, when it was definitively ceded with the clause to provide logistical support to the lyric and concert seasons promoted by the Municipal Administration in the adjacent Piazza del Duomo. In 1967 it was acquired by the Municipal Administration which has suddenly started restorative measures.
Inserted into the regional project F.I.O. (Future, Innovation, Opportunities), the recovery project led to the complete renovation of the entire building and gave it a new birth.Nowadays, the theatre has a capacity of 100 seats, a goo acoustics, stage and services completely modernized and it is an optimal space for chamber music performances, prose and recitals, readings. Since 2002, the company Giardino Chiuso has been planning and organizing the winter season of the Teatro dei Leggieri, still making it a vital place for the life of San Gimignano.
