Initially it was named “Santa Elisabetta Theatre,” as a tribute to Maria Isabella, Charles V’s daughter. It was opened in 1852 and, after the Expedition of the Thousand revolt, it changed its name in honor of the Italian king Victor Emmanuel II. The building, whose construction started years before its opening, was damaged by the earthquake of 1908 and the only work “il Tempo che scopre la Verità” (the Time who discovers the Truth), sculptured by Saro Zagari, survived. It is on the top of the building, on the main façade.

The post-earthquake reconstruction kept its aspect unchanged, while the interior was rebuilt in a modern point of view: it was provided with sophisticated sceneries. The painting of Renato Guttuso is very important to the city, which decorates the main hall and represents Colapesce. Even if it does not have its nineteenth-century magnificence, the Vittorio Emanuele Theatre is also a very important work for its intense cultural activity.