The award ceremony and closing ceremony of 33rd FIDE World Senior Team Championship 2025 will take place on 1st November at 9.30 p.m. at the Schipa Theatre in Gallipoli.
The history of this building is unusual and fascinating, so let’s find out more about it…
History: The history of the Tito Schipa Theatre has its roots far back in time, at the dawn of the 20th century, in a city space that has long been the subject of political debate.
Located on Gallipoli’s main street, at the intersection of Via Ravenna, Via Cavallotti and Corso XX Settembre, the theatre was built in 1907 out of wood and was temporarily named “Eldorado”.
At the request of the promoters of the initiative, the land concession was extended for one year beyond its expiry date, initially set for 30 September 1909, with the “obligation to demolish the theatre at the end of the contract”, which actually happened after a year.
The start of construction of a new theatre had to wait until 1913, the year in which the contract to build a theatre for the benefit of the city of Gallipoli was signed.
The planned building was to be constructed of masonry and wood, with three tiers of boxes, one of which was reserved for the builders. During construction, the theatre was named “Teatro Nuovo” (New Theatre) and began its own programming as early as 1913: the months of July and August.
In August 1913, the Teatro Nuovo began its first programme of film screenings, showing highly original films that had already been shown in Italy’s largest theatres. These were silent films with subtitles only.
The structure was completed in January 1914. During its more than 100 years of activity, numerous performances by various companies have been documented in surviving posters.
In 1925, it was named “Tito Schipa”, as a tribute to the wave of success that the Lecce artist of the same name achieved in his hometown, Gallipoli.
Since the post-war period, the theatre has mainly operated as a cinema, while retaining its original architectural structure inside and out and periodically hosting theatrical and operatic performances thanks to its excellent acoustics.
Among the famous personalities who have performed at the Testro Schipa are the famous Italian actress and global icon… Sophia Loren.
