Famous for being the backdrop of the final scene in ‘The Godfather III’, the monument is also home to Italy’s largest stage and holds the title of Europe’s third-largest theatre.
Four days before its birthday, the Sicilian icon will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of its reopening on May 12, 1997.
The theatre’s supervisor, Francesco Giambrone, said the nineteenth-century architectural marvel will celebrate the two anniversaries "with sobriety".
Mr Giambrone added that the milestones will be commemorated with much-anticipated renovations, scheduled to start in the summer months and be completed between 2021 and 2023.
Set to cost around 20 million euro, the works will be funded by local and government authorities.
Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando confirmed that the theatre is not scheduled to close during the restoration, which will focus on the stage, its frescoes and decorations in the entrance and halls.
In addition to the works, Gustav Mahler's second symphony ‘Resurrection’ will resound throughout the opera house on May 12, to mark 20 years since its reopening, while an exhibition showcasing costumes from the theatre’s productions over the past two decades will open on May 11 in the building’s Pompeian Hall.
Situated in Palermo’s Piazza Verdi, the grandiose theatre was inaugurated on May 16, 1897 - 22 years after the laying of the first stone - with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff.
Great singers and performers graced its stage for decades, until 1974 when the theatre was closed for renovations due to updated safety regulations.
Cost overruns, corruption, and political instability caused a huge delay in the works, and the building remained closed for 23 years.
On May 12, 1997, the theatre finally reopened its doors to the public, showing a concert performed by the Orchestra of the Teatro Massimo and directed by Franco Mannino.
Throughout its 120-year-history, the internationally renowned theatre has become a true Sicilian gem and a must-see for anybody who visits the southern island.
