In front of you stands the Teatro Sociale, Mantua’s main theatre: a place of entertainment and social gathering, and a venue for political expression during Risorgimento. The theatre was an initiative of a group of local citizens and was built in 1822 in the Neoclassical style, following the design of the Ticino architect Luigi Canonica. Three years later, Emperor Francis I of Austria was welcomed here, greeted in a grand hall illuminated entirely by candlelight. In 1848, the opera Alberto di Saviola by the Mantuan composer Lucio Campiani was performed on this stage. Set in the 15th century, the drama recounts the rise to power of the Gonzaga family. The patriotic sentiments expressed by its characters mirrored the hopes of the time. The opera’s success reflected the growing desire for independence and freedom spreading throughout Mantua. Just days later, as the city filled with people from the countryside for the feast of the patron saint, news arrived of revolutionary uprisings in Vienna and Milan, and the Statute granted by the Savoy monarchy. Hopes that the Habsburg Empire might grant a constitution led to flags being waved from balconies, and tricolour cockades appearing on hats and lapels. That evening, the Teatro Sociale was packed; not a single box stood empty. A large tricolour flag was passed from hand to hand to shouts of “Long live Italy! Long live the Constitution! Long live Mazzini! Down with the Jesuits!” But the initial enthusiasm of the people of Mantua quickly turned into disillusionment. Disappointment grew to the point of sparking public protests, including a boycott of theatre performances. On 7 December 1852, the day the “Martyrs of Belfiore” were executed, the theatre was almost deserted, the box office took in just 7 lire. In 1866, after Mantua was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, the Teatro Sociale welcomed King Victor Emmanuel II for a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera. The following year, Giuseppe Garibaldi attended a staging of Il Trovatore. Two plaques on the façade now commemorate these distinguished visits.