We Love Our New Chocolate Box Theatre

Theatre has always been part of the fabric of life at Reschio. Long before the castle was restored, the very first summer play was staged in its crumbling courtyard beneath the stars, setting the tone for years of glorious chaos to come. There were wandering caravan tours across Italy involving children, parrots, costumes and complete theatrical mayhem, all of which eventually evolved into today’s now semi-professional Annual Summer Play, this year celebrating its fifth edition. Each summer, the castle’s ancient spirits, eccentric staff and improbable characters burst spectacularly into life once more.

Now, the story continues with the arrival of The Chocolate Box Theatre beside Ristorante alle Scuderie. Fittingly, the idea began not with a grand plan, but with a spiral staircase silently sitting in the corner of an empty room for the past years. Nobody quite knew what to do with it, but we have learnt that if you leave ideas alone long enough, they eventually reveal themselves. That lonely staircase has now become the heart of a two-tiered theatre dedicated to every kind of spectacle imaginable.

The programme promises an eclectic mix: opera, poetry readings, silent films accompanied by live piano, candlelit performances, curious lectures and, if fortune smiles upon us, appearances from Ruggero, Reschio’s gloriously dramatic butler. And because the theatre adjoins Ristorante alle Scuderie, guests can settle in for dinner while the stage comes alive beside them. A feast for the senses, quite literally.

Theatre itself is one of humanity’s oldest pleasures. Long before cinemas or novels, people gathered to tell stories, summon gods, entertain crowds and make sense of the world around them. In ancient Greece, performances began as hymns to Dionysus before one daring performer stepped out from the chorus to speak alone, becoming history’s first actor, and giving us the word ‘Thespian’.

Many performances have surely been played out on these grounds within its 1000-year history, and since the Bolza family’s arrival, they have sought to continue this tradition.