On this day in 1854, Italian architect Nicola Bettoli died in Parma. He is best known for his design for the Teatro Regio (Royal Theater) built for Duchess Maria Luisa of Austria in his hometown, 1821-27. The Neoclassical theater was inaugurated in 1829. Other projects for the duchess included a reconstruction of her residence, renovations at the Biblioteca Palatina (Palace Library), and the Beccherie di Piazza Ghiaia — a place for butchers’ stalls demolished in 1928, all designed in an eclectic, Neoclassical style. Bettoli was appointed head of architecture at Parma’s Accademia di Belle Arti in 1823, and his son Luigi would also teach there and be appointed official state architect in Parma.
Reference: Gretchen G. Fox. “Bettoli, Nicola.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press.
Teatro Regio, Parma
Posthumous Portrait of Nicola Bettoli, ca. 1870, Parma, San Giovanni Evangelista
Beccherie di Piazza Ghiaia, Parma, demolished 1928