The Fairies' Holes and the discovery of the roman Theatre at Fiesole

When the Romans built the Theatre, they made use of the depression in the hill where most of the gradine were placed ; the remainig gradine to the West and East where the depression was deeper, were built on vaults. These arches, which became impracticable and half hidden as a result of general decay after the fall of the Roman Empire and the barbaric invasions and were uncovered in the Middle Ages by landslides, were and still are commonly called the Fairies’ Holes.

After the Middle Ages the population believed that these caves were the home of the goddes Fatua, wife of Faunus, who could predict the future. They were used by farmers for storage but there were still people at Fiesole who spoke in fear of the nocturnal meetings of the Seven Nymphs at the Fairies’ Holes. In fact it was said that in springtime, when they could be seen in the sky in the form of the Pleiades, the Nymphs descended once more to their Fiesole. The Seven Fairies or Nymphs, after helping their father Atlas build the walls around Fiesole had then been placed by the poets among the constellations in the sky.
Apart from these fanciful legends, the Fairies’ Holes were in fact believed to be the remains of the Roman Theatre by ancient historians. At the end of the eighteenth century Abbot Domenico Moreni wrote: “Seven large rooms can be found at a stone’s throw from East side (of the Cathedral), whatever Monsignor Pompeo Compagnoni, Bishop of Osimo and Cingoli may say to deny their existence…”.

Officially the Theatre was discovered in 1809 by the archeologist Baron Friedman of Schellerheim, who started excavating intending only to collect ancient objects; he uncovered some of the more essential parts, such as some blocks of gradine, some “vomitoria” and some of the stairs of communication: Having finished his studies and collect, it is said, several objects of archeological value, Schellerheim gave up the venture. Then, until 1814, the area was used by the inhabitants of Fiesole as a stone quarray thus causing the distruction of the gradine excavated by the Prussina Baron on the Via Riorbico (Rivus Urbicus) side.

In 1815 the Cathedral Chapter, owner of the land, had the slope covered over to prepare it for agricultural use and prevent the total distruction of the Theatre; thus the farmer’s plough covered up these remains of Fiesole’s bglory once again.When Church property, including this particular piece of land, was confiscated by the State in 1870, the Government Commission for Etruscan Antiquity started excavating the Theatre under the direction of the archeologist Prof. G. F. Gamurrini.
Following an interruption in the excavations, in 1873 Fiesole Town Council, intending to continue the work, bought all the Archeological Zone land which was then fenced off.

foto tratta da Wikipedia.com

In 1877 a Council Archeological Commission was nominated to carry out excavations financed by the revenue from visitor’s entrance tickets.
Thanks to the ability of Prof. Demostene Macciò, the Archeological Commission was able to excavate almost the whole Theatre and notably enrich the Civic Museum inaugurated in 1878 in the Praetorial Palace with the objects found. Finally, when part of the gradine were restored in 1911, the Theatre could be said to be recovered for posterity.

However what can be seen today is only part of the original complex which was much wider and higher. The Fiesole Theatre is believed to be one of the oldest built in Roman times. It was erected towards the end of the Republican era and underwent restoration and embellishment in the Empire period.
The cavea is older than the scene. In fact the large slabs forming the gradine like the doorposts, have their joints dressed and united without cement according to Etruscan building methods, while other sectors are constructed with little bossages joined with mortar in the typical Roman style of Silla’s time.

Someone said that above, in front of the scene (Where three colums are erected) stood a little temple dedicated to Venus. On the gradine on the western side was a well for public use, as was the portico behind the scene, available for the spectators if it rained; nine of its masonry pillars can still be seen.
The Archeological Zone Museum contains the remains of decorative bas-reliefs that date from the time of Emperor Claudius (41-54 A.D.), whose statue stood in the Theatre, and fragments from the era of Settimio Severo (193-211 A.D.) also mentioned in a marble inscription.

On 20 April 1911. The Roman Theatre put on a performance of Oedipus Rex by Sofocles, with Gustavo Salvini in the title role. For the very first time in Italy an ancient monument had been transformed from an archeological site into a living theatre.
After two thousand years, the Roman Theatre of Fiesole is again in use for open air performances during the Fiesole Summer Season, and this year marks the FIRST CENTENARY modern activity.

Enio Pecchioni