Built in 1618, the Farnese is the first modern theater in the West. Built in a very short time with light materials such as painted wood and stucco, it was created by the will of Ranuccio I, to celebrate Cosimo II de' Medici's stay in Parma with great magnificence, on the occasion of a trip to Milan. The result of an architectural research typical of the Italian courts on the recovery of the classical theater, it was designed by Giovan Battista Aleotti who made it the first stable space for performances, equipped with an engineering system for mobile sets. Inaugurated in 1628, it was used for ducal parties and shows, on the occasion of weddings or important state visits. Almost completely destroyed by bombs in 1944 and rebuilt in modern times, the theater is today the most spectacular and striking testimony of the sumptuous court life of the Farnese Dukes.