Teatro Sociale
The elegant neoclassical building that closes the northern side of Piazza Garibaldi is the Teatro Sociale. The original name was Teatro della Società and was built between 1817 and 1819, designed by Sante Baseggio, on the site once occupied by the former Church of St. Maria dei Battuti. It was officially opened on April 12,1819, with the representation of “Adelaide of Burgundy”, composed especially for the event by Pietro Generali and performed by the most famous singers of the moment: Violante Camporesi and Claudio Bonoldi. The first restoration took place in 1858 and in 1902 a fire destroyed much of the building which was reconstructed in two years on a design by Donghi. The art nouveau decorations were overseen by the artist Giovanni Vianello, who decorated the interior with the procession of the Muses, and on the parapets of the first order of balconies there are eight portraits of famous men: Goldoni, Metastasio, Alfieri, Doninzetti, Verdi, Rossini, Bellini and Mercadante. The new Teatro Sociale was inaugurated by Pietro Mascagni, who directed the “Iris” October 12, 1904, and saw the debut of two of the major artists of the last century: Beniamino Gigli and Renata Tebaldi.

Palazzo Silvestri
A must, along the short route that connects Piazza Garibaldi to the Church of the Rotonda, is a stop at Palazzo Silvestri which was the home of the rich and prestigious family of the same name, protagonist of the public and cultural life of the city for at least three centuries.
The building is located just after the Teatro Sociale and probably dates from the second half of the 1400s; It is characterised by substantially simple shapes enriched by imaginative use of terracotta tiles enriched with sober frames that decorate the openings and windows which are coupled at the corners of the rooms as was the architectural style of Ferrara.
The beautiful portal is topped by a round stone with the family crest: an ornate shield with a rampant leopard.
Today the building has extensions of unknown eras on both sides, while the main building carefully restored has returned to the charm of the past.