L'Ardito Rosso, a play about Leonida Repaci

Cine Teatro Metropolitano · Reggio di Calabria, Costa Viola, Calabria

31 October 2026

On Saturday 31 October 2026 at 6.30pm the Cine Teatro Metropolitano in Reggio Calabria, at Via Nino Bixio 44, stages “L'Ardito Rosso (o dell'incanto meridiano di Leonida Repaci)”, a play about the writer from Palmi who founded the Viareggio literary prize. The text is by Domenico Loddo, Silvana Luppino is on stage, Christian Maria Parisi directs and the production is by Teatro Primo of Villa San Giovanni. The performance is part of the third edition of the theatre series “Oltre i Confini” (Beyond Borders: Voices of Resistance and Hope, Stories of Struggle and Solidarity), presented by the Fondazione Girolamo Tripodi for the 2026/2027 season. Entry is free.

Date, time and venue

“L'Ardito Rosso” is on stage on Saturday 31 October 2026 at 6.30pm at the Cine Teatro Metropolitano, Via Nino Bixio 44, Reggio Calabria. Its full title is “L'Ardito Rosso (o dell'incanto meridiano di Leonida Repaci)”: a piece of theatre built around the life and cultural world of the Calabrian writer, weaving together memory, identity and the story of southern Italy through the power of the spoken word.

The text is by Domenico Loddo, the performer is Silvana Luppino and the director is Christian Maria Parisi; the production is by Teatro Primo. According to the poster, entry is free. The running time and any booking arrangements have not been published. The play is in Italian.

The “Oltre i Confini” series by the Fondazione Girolamo Tripodi

The play is one of the “moments of theatre” in the third edition of “Oltre i Confini: Voci di Resistenza e Speranza, Storie di Lotta e Solidarietà” (Beyond Borders: Voices of Resistance and Hope, Stories of Struggle and Solidarity), the series the Fondazione Girolamo Tripodi presents for the 2026/2027 season. The second edition also had dates at the Cine Teatro Metropolitano, as part of the foundation's work in Reggio Calabria as well as in Polistena.

The foundation is named after Girolamo Tripodi (Polistena 1927 – Reggio Calabria 2018), a farmworkers' trade unionist who led the struggles of the jasmine pickers on the Ionian coast and of the olive pickers in the Gioia Tauro plain, served five terms in the Italian parliament and was mayor of Polistena for about thirty-one years.

Who was Leonida Repaci

Leonida Repaci was born in Palmi on 5 April 1898 and died in Marina di Pietrasanta on 19 July 1985. A novelist, essayist, playwright and painter, he fought in the First World War, where he was wounded and awarded a silver medal. In Turin he met Antonio Gramsci, wrote for “L'Ordine Nuovo” and in 1924-25 was theatre and music critic for “l'Unità”.

In August 1925, during Palmi's Varia festival, he was arrested with other socialists and communists over the killing of a local fascist official, and was acquitted after seven months in prison. In 1929 he came up with the Viareggio Prize together with Carlo Salsa and Alberto Colantuoni, and chaired it until his death. The work he spent longest on is the “Storia dei Rupe” family saga; “Calabria grande e amara” dates from 1964.

Teatro Primo and the artists

Teatro Primo is an independent theatre in Villa San Giovanni, with a season of contemporary drama, a children's programme and a drama school that reached its sixteenth year in 2025/2026. Silvana Luppino and Christian Maria Parisi are its artistic directors and also run the school.

Domenico Loddo, Silvana Luppino and Christian Maria Parisi had already worked together on “Dora in avanti”, the monologue that opened Teatro Primo's twelfth contemporary drama season in October 2025. “L'Ardito Rosso” is not a premiere either: according to the regional portal Calabria Straordinaria it was staged on Thursday 18 December 2025 in the “Première d'Autore 2025” series.

Getting to the Cine Teatro Metropolitano

The Cine Teatro Metropolitano is at Via Nino Bixio 44, in the area around Reggio Calabria Centrale station: coming out of the station into Piazza Garibaldi, turn left into Via Bixio. Centrale is the city's main railway station and is served by many ATAM city bus lines, which makes it the easiest option if you are coming from out of town or do not want to look for parking.

By car, follow the A2 motorway into central Reggio and then the signs for the Centrale station. The sources do not mention any parking for the theatre. With free entry and no booking announced, it is worth arriving a little before 6.30pm.

Following Repaci to Palmi

If the play leaves you wanting more, head to Palmi, Repaci's home town on the Costa Viola, north of Reggio along the A2. The writer left his town a large art collection and his belongings, kept at Palmi's Casa della Cultura, which bears his name, as well as his villa, Villa Pietrosa.

Palmi is also home to the Varia, the huge votive structure carried on shoulders in procession: the festival that appears in Repaci's life story because of his arrest in 1925. For opening days and times at the Casa della Cultura, check with the town council. On this site you can browse businesses in Palmi and the events calendar for the province.

Frequently asked questions

When is L'Ardito Rosso on in Reggio Calabria?

On Saturday 31 October 2026 at 6.30pm, at the Cine Teatro Metropolitano, Via Nino Bixio 44.

How much are tickets?

Nothing: the Fondazione Girolamo Tripodi poster says entry is free.

Do I need to book?

The poster does not mention booking. As entry is free, it is worth arriving a little early.

Who is on stage?

Silvana Luppino, directed by Christian Maria Parisi, in a text by Domenico Loddo. The production is by Teatro Primo of Villa San Giovanni.

Who was Leonida Repaci?

A novelist, playwright and painter born in Palmi in 1898 who died in 1985, an anti-fascist who founded the Viareggio Prize in 1929 and chaired it until his death.

Who organises the series?

The Fondazione Girolamo Tripodi, with the third edition of “Oltre i Confini: Voci di Resistenza e Speranza, Storie di Lotta e Solidarietà”, 2026/2027 season.

How do I get to the Cine Teatro Metropolitano?

From Reggio Calabria Centrale station, come out into Piazza Garibaldi and turn left into Via Bixio; the station is served by many ATAM city bus lines.

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