Colà Parish to Transform Historic Building into Community Theater

The parish recreation center, adjacent to the ACLI center in Piazza don Vantini, will be converted into a theater. The parish has commissioned Giorgio Benoni, a native of Catating, to develop the renovation and expansion project of the building structure commonly known as “el ricreatorio,” which has been unused for years and desperately needs a significant construction intervention.

The new project designed by Benoni will extend over two levels, allowing the ground floor to accommodate all necessary theater services, several meeting rooms, and the heating plant.

On the first floor, however, a proper theater will be built with about 120 seats and a small stage for the parish spectators.

The hall can also be used for other social purposes and can be divided into multiple versatile spaces.

Project costs and funding

“The cost of the work, desired by the parish priest and the pastoral council,” states Benoni, “will preliminarily amount to 800 million lira, all covered by the Colatina community.”

“It is evident,” the engineer continues, “that we will utilize the funding provided, for this purpose, by the Regione del Veneto, but the rest will be borne by the parish and the community.”

It is worth recalling that the building in question was constructed at the end of the 1800s and was used as a tobacco and grain dryer.

It was one of the many rural properties part of the real estate holdings of the baroni Treves family, former owners of the renowned Villa dei Cedri, which in the 1940s was a stronghold of the SS and today is a thermal park.

The dryer was donated to the parish of Colà so it could be renovated and turned into recreational activities for the local youth.

This purpose remains unchanged today and is very dear to the people of Colà.