Built over the vestiges of an ancient Jesuit monastery, the Giglio Theatre, begun in 1672, was inaugurated three years later with the presentation of two operas, Attila in Capua by Niccolò Berengani and Seiano by Niccolò Minato. Built by the architect Maria Giovanni Padreddio to the project of Francesco Buonamici, the theatre was to undergo two rebuilding initiatives, the last of them commissioned of Giovanni Lazzarini by Maria Teresa of Bourbon in the early years of the 19th century. The hall, with ovoidal layout and four orders of boxes, was adapted within the span of a few decades to the innovations introduced in the field of lighting. In 1872, in fact, a gas lighting system was installed, while electric lighting was introduced only in 1911.

Enlarged still further during the course of the 20th century, the theatre possesses today, in addition to its rich technical equipment and stage sets, a specialised library with over 4000 books and magazines pertinent to this sector, and a well-furnished video library.