This is a bit of hidden history, so well-hidden that we walked past it more than once before realizing we were seeing something more than a parking lot and some building remnants in Palermo, steps away from the magnificent Teatro Massimo.
The Cinema Teatro Arena Trianon has a story to tell—more than one, actually. It was built in 1944-45, just after the war ended for Palermo, but in the wake of massive damage. It was one of the first new buildings, and it was the last major Art Deco building for Palermo. Palermo’s weather combined with limited funds meant that many popular venues were outdoor, Trianon among them.
It was a popular place for families to spend an evening watching movies and sometimes plays and musical performances. Next door, its owner Giovanni Papale, had an appliance store that often attracted crowds to early TV sets in the window where they could follow soccer games… and then perhaps, stay for a show at the theatre. The Arena Trianon continued to be popular through the 1950s and 1960s, but by 1980 its day was over.
Today, from the stage side, it resembles a sort of macabre drive-in movie theatre.
