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Venice: Teatro Malibran

Teatro Malibran, previously called Teatro di San Giovanni Grisostomo, opened during the 1678 carnival celebrations. This third theatre to be built by the Grimani family stands behind the Church of San Giovanni Grisostomo on the site of the former palace of Marco Polo's family. The present name of Malibran was given to the theater in honor of the mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran, who performed there.

Venice's oldest theater and host to the premier of Handel's Agrippina in 1709, the Malibran was Venice's main musical venue until 1792 when the Teatro La Fenice opened. The theater's 165 boxes served as meeting places for nobility and distinguished foreign visitors. In fact, since it was used for political business as well, the doge allotted boxes to foreign heads of state.

Despite the theater's illustrious history, during the late 20th century, it functioned only as a movie theater. Restoration work began in earnest in 1996 after the destruction of La Fenice by fire. The theater was then used as an alternative venue to the Fenice. Today, the theater primarily hosts concerts and recitals.

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