Silvano Toti Globe Theatre

Located near the Villa Borghese in the leafy park of the same name, Rome’s answer to London’s Globe Theatre is built in the round, in the style of 16th-century Elizabethan London. Constructed of oak, the Globe opened in 2003 and its construction was financed by Silvano Toti, a wealthy patron of the Italian arts. Now under the eye of art director Gigi Proietti, the playhouse puts on a program of magical works by William Shakespeare between July and September. The roof of the theater is open to the elements and the interior has a capacity for an audience of 1,250. The circular seating is on different levels and balconies overlook the rectangular stage, which is surrounded by standing room for the cheapest ticket holders.

The box office is on Viale Canonica; ticket prices for evening performances at the Globe start at €10 and most plays are presented in Italian, with occasional productions in English. Otherwise the theater can be viewed as part of a tour of the Parco Borghese complex, which also includes the fabulous artworks of the Galleria Borghese, the Pietro Canonica Museum, the Bioparco—Rome’s zoo—and the Pincio Gardens.