The Teatro Massimo is a gargantuan pile, following the Paris Opera in its combination of dome over the auditorium and gabled roof over the stage, though in this case the dome is raised on a drum and given a wide projecting cornice. The flanking rotundas are also Paris-inspired, but the porticoed entrance crowning a flight of steps comes from Schinkel. The auditorium has five tiers, comprising 142 boxes, and holds 2,228 spectators. The original competition also stipulated ten apartments for singers and opera personnel to live in, but even Basile drew the line at that.

In: Tidworth, Simon : Theatres: An Illustrated History. London 1973 p. 166

Author: Simon Tidworth