This theater was inaugurated in 1819 and was a work by private citizens, it was then taken over in 1866 by the Municipal Administration that saw to the expansion, design and restoration of the structure and commissioned architect Federico Santacroce for the project. The renovated structure reopened on 6 April 1872 and represents one of the better examples Neoclassical Pugliese architecture especially for the elegant forms and for the balanced proportions inspired by the San Carlo Theatre of Naples. In 1899 the majestic covered gallery was completed. It run the length of the of the east side of the theater and allowed access to the carriages and served as security exits. During the years spanning the two World Wars it was used as a movie theatre and saw a slow decline until the 1960s. In 1977 they started substantial restoration work to make it in keeping with the prevailing security normative and from 1996 has been administered directly by the local authorities.