Carpi - Other buildings in Piazza Martiri

The Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta
One end of Piazza Martiri is overlooked by the Collegiata, now the Cathedral, built by Alberto Pio III at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The naves are attributable to a project by Baldassarre Peruzzi. The wall decorations are nineteenth century and faithfully follow the original Renaissance designs. Also of great interest are the numerous highly decorative altar-pieces adorned with gypsum frontals.

The municipal vinegar works
As far back as the sixteenth century, traditional balsamic vinegar was already being produced by local families; the acetified cooked must was allowed to mature and age in various progressively smaller and smaller wooden barrels, called batteries, placed in attics or lofts to undergo thermal excursions from the summer to the winter.
Each family might possess one or more batteries and it was the custom to pass on the family vinegar works to young brides as a dowry. The Municipal Administration of Carpi, in homage to this traditional product, has located the Municipal Vinegar Works in the attic of the eighteenth-century municipal headquarters of Palazzo Scacchetti.

The Teatro Comunale
The municipal theatre – the Teatro Comunale – opened on the 11th of August 1861 with a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Of particular interest and beauty is the neo-classical vault with its four allegorical groups of female figures representing Dance, Music, Poetry and Prose. The historic drop-curtain by Giuseppe Ugolini dates back to 1861 and portrays Orpheus enchanting nature. Outside, to both sides of the theatre, are busts of eight illustrious citizens of Carpi.
Amongst the most important historical theatres of Emilia Romagna, the Comunale can contain around 600 spectators and is part of the European Route of Historic Theatres; 38 European Theatres recognized for their architectural merit.