Teatro di verzura in Parco di Villa D’Ayala
Valva, Italy
The open-air theater at Ayala consists of several curvilinear rows of boxwood hedges arranged in terraces. The defining feature of the Green Theatre of Villa d'Ayala is the presence of marble busts depicting spectators. The stalls display dozens of these busts, lined up to form a surreal audience. These human figures—both male and female—stand as motionless spectators, silently adorning the amphitheater and lending the place a distinctive atmosphere reflecting its Baroque and Mannerist influences.
That this was constructed in the 18th century shows how Baroque gardens had become a model from which later Italian garden designs would draw inspiration—and often seek to imitate.
In 1831, the residence passed to the d’Ayala family. Under the direction of Marquis Giuseppe Maria d’Ayala-Valva, the villa and its park assumed the form we know today. The Marquis decided to transform the estate he had inherited into an elegant country residence. For the creation of the park, he commissioned some of the finest gardeners and botanists of the time.
Across an area of approximately 18 hectares, they created a utopia of pastoral and cultural delights. The garden features ornamental avenues lined with plane trees, magnolias, and cedars; a lake and fishpond; an orchard; and a wooded area—primarily composed of holm oaks, chestnuts, plane trees, and maples—through which winding paths meander. Throughout the park, numerous mythological statues populate the grounds, transforming nature itself into an open-air exhibition hall. There are also two Italian-style gardens in addition to the enchanting green amphitheater, where the villa’s privileged residents and their guests could enjoy concerts, acrobatic displays, and theatrical performances beneath the stars.