Assisi's Historic Cinema Il Ridotto Reopens After Two Decades

On Saturday, September 19, the historic cinema Il Ridotto, part of the Teatro Metastasio in Assisi's medieval center, reopened after more than twenty years of darkness. The reopening was driven by a group of young Assisi residents through the project Sedici Noni, which won the ThinkBig grant from Fondazione Perugia. The theater, originally designed in the first half of the 19th century by Assisi architect Lorenzo Carpinelli, was converted into a 400-seat cinema in 1955. The renovation, led by architect Alfio Barabani, restored the space with public funds and was inaugurated in late May. The initiative aims to return a communal gathering place to local citizens, countering touristification. It reflects a broader trend in Umbria, where the cooperative Anonima Impresa Sociale, founded nearly fifteen years ago in Perugia, has been reactivating disused cinemas, including the Postmodernissimo. The article, written by Giovanni Manfolini, also references the Rai3 program Fuori Roma, which in 2018 highlighted urban realities outside major metropolises, and notes how the pandemic has prompted a rethinking of daily urban life. The reopening underscores the role of cinemas as spaces of collective memory and social aggregation in small towns.