Auditorium of Rome

The Auditorium Parco della Musica is a large multi-functional public music complex to the north of Rome - in the area where the 1960 Summer Olympic Games were held.

The Auditorium Parco della Musica was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. Three large concert halls (Sala Petrassi, in memory of Goffredo Petrassi, about 700 seats; Sala Sinopoli, in memory of Giuseppe Sinopoli, about 1200 seats; Sala Santa Cecilia, about 2800 seats) are structurally separated to ensure soundproofing, though joined at the base by a continuous lobby. A fourth "concert hall", called Cavea, is the open air theater recalling ancient Greek and Roman theaters. The fan-shaped layout is formed around the central piazza. The blobs, beetles, scarabs, turtles, insect carapaces, computer mice - all are names given to these structures with thin red Roman brick and weighty dramatic lead roofs.

During construction, excavations uncovered the foundations of a villa and oil press dating from sixth century BC. Renzo Piano redesigned the facility to accommodate the archaeological remains and included a small museum to house the artifacts that were discovered. Such changes delayed the project by an year.

The Parco della Musica was formally inaugurated on 21 December 2002; in a few years it became the world's most visited music facility[citation needed] with over one million spectators in one year.

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is located at the Parco della Musica