Teatri di Pietra - Festival at the Ancient Theatre of Akrai

The Greek theatre of Akrai comes back to life

On the Iblei plateau, where the ancient Syracusan colony of Akrai once stood, the small yet extraordinary Greek theatre carved into the rock continues to do what it was built for over two thousand years ago: hosting audiences for an evening of performance. Every summer, the cavea of the Akrai Archaeological Area, just a short walk from the Baroque centre of Palazzolo Acreide (Syracuse province, Sicily), hosts the local leg of the Teatri di Pietra Lyric Festival, an event that brings theatre and music to the island's archaeological sites.

A festival spread across Sicily's ancient sites

The Teatri di Pietra Lyric Festival, promoted by the Coro Lirico Siciliano, travels across Sicily every summer, bringing opera, prose, dance, and concerts to ancient theatres, archaeological parks, and historic squares, from Syracuse to Taormina, and from Tindari to Selinunte. In Akrai, the festival engages with the summer programme of the Municipality of Palazzolo Acreide, becoming part of the city's calendar of shows and cultural events that bring the archaeological area to life during the warmer months.

Classical tragedies and contemporary drama

The heart of the festival lies in the dialogue between ancient myth and modern stage writing: alongside great Greek tragedies, there is room for contemporary reinterpretations, dance performances, and tributes to Sicilian culture. Over the years, the Akrai theatre has hosted works inspired by mythical figures—from Perseus and Andromeda to Medea, from Ulysses to the great heroines of tragedy—entrusted to actors, directors, and choreographers who reinterpret the classics before the stones of the ancient cavea.

Palazzolo Acreide, Baroque capital of the Iblei

The setting is Palazzolo Acreide, a stunning Baroque village recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the late-Baroque towns of the Val di Noto. Visiting the festival is also an opportunity to discover its monumental churches, noble palaces, and the Akrai archaeological area, with its Greek theatre, stone quarries (latomie), and the evocative Santoni, rock reliefs dedicated to the goddess Cybele. By night, the performance merges with the magic of a landscape that has remained almost unchanged.

An evening under the stars

Attending a show at the Ancient Theatre of Akrai means experiencing the most authentic Sicily: the evening cool descending on the Iblean plateau, the illuminated ancient stones, and the voices of the actors resonating in a space built specifically for them. It is a cultural offering that combines the site's archaeological value with the evocative power of live theatre, attracting spectators from across the province of Syracuse and beyond every summer.