Ancient Theatre of Larissa

The first ancient theatre of Larissa was built in the third century BC on the southern slope of the city's acropolis hill, and it seated perhaps ten thousand people on twenty-five rows of white marble from Mount Ossa. For centuries it lay buried under the modern town, and its recovery required the expropriation and demolition of dozens of buildings from the 1980s onward, a long and expensive municipal project that has now opened most of the auditorium, the orchestra and part of the stage building to view in the middle of the city. Inscriptions cut into the seats record the names of city officials and, from the Roman period, the conversion of the orchestra into an arena. A second, smaller theatre lies nearby, and the whole site is used again for summer performances.

What you actually see

• The marble auditorium - rows of white seating on the acropolis slope.
• The orchestra - the circular floor, later adapted as a Roman arena.
• The seat inscriptions - names and civic records cut into the marble.
• The city setting - excavated ruins surrounded by modern Larissa.

When to go

Year-round; the site is open and central, and evening light suits the marble. Summer performances occasionally close it to casual visitors.

Honest expectations

Excavation and restoration are ongoing, so parts are fenced and scaffolded at times. Larissa is a large working city rather than a tourist destination, and the theatre is the main reason to stop.

Nearby

The Vale of Tempe and Ambelakia lie northeast; Meteora is an hour and a half west.