The Teatro Rossini on Piazza Lazzarini is Pesaro's main opera house, built in 1818 and beautifully proportioned — four tiers of boxes, a decorated ceiling, and the warm acoustic of a traditional Italian horseshoe theatre. For most of the year it functions as a regular performance venue; in August it becomes the centrepiece of the Rossini Opera Festival, one of the most important bel canto events in Italy.
The festival concentrates on performing Rossini's complete output, including the many operas that disappeared from the repertoire after his death. Productions are serious and often revelatory — singers and conductors come specifically for the festival, and the quality is consistently high. The theatre's scale (under 1,000 seats) means there are no bad seats. If you are in Pesaro in August, book well in advance.