The Teatro Comunale di Bologna, originally the Nuovo Teatro Pubblico, was the first major opera house built with public funds and owned by the city. Antonio Galli Bibiena won the design contract despite opposition from competitors. It replaced the Teatro Malvezzi, which burned in February 1745. The theater opened on May 14, 1763, with Gluck's Il trionfo di Clelia.
The bell-shaped auditorium had four tiers of boxes, a royal box and a small gallery, and the ceiling was painted to look open to the sky. It was built mainly of masonry as fire protection. Of the 99 boxes, 35 were sold for private use. The facade was not completed until 1936.
A fire in 1931 destroyed much of the stage area. It reopened on November 14, 1935, with a horseshoe auditorium seating 1,034.
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