Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

Belle Ripiene returns to Teatro Sistina in Rome, Via Sistina 129 (00187 Rome), from April 8, 2027: the performances on sale are Thursday the 8th, Friday the 9th and Saturday, April 10 at 20:30 and Sunday, April 11 at 16:00. The schedule published by the theater is Thursday to Saturday at 20:30 and Sunday at 16:00. On stage are Rossella Brescia, Roberta Lanfranchi, Rosalia Porcaro and Samuela Sardo, directed by Massimo Romeo Piparo. The theater is a short walk from Piazza Barberini, served by Metro A, Barberini stop. The prices published by Sistina are €49 in the front orchestra, €45 in the orchestra, €41 in the first gallery, €36 in the second and €30 in the third. Tickets are sold on the official Sistina website, through the online box office linked from the show page, or at the theater box office.

Language: performed in Italian. No English version or English surtitles are announced.

A real kitchen on stage, four friends at the stove, a Michelin guide inspector whose face nobody knows: Belle Ripiene is the all-female comedy that Sistina brings back after the success of past seasons. Rossella Brescia has played in it since 2018. In our view it's a show to pick for an easy laugh and, rare for a theater, for the smell of the stage: the actresses really cook.

Belle Ripiene at Sistina in brief

Belle Ripiene is a comedy by Massimo Romeo Piparo and Giulia Ricciardi, produced by Peep Arrow, Il Sistina and PRM Produzioni, and directed by Piparo himself. The creative team includes Teresa Caruso for the sets, Cecilia Betona for the costumes and Emanuele Friello for the original music.

All the performances on sale

Thursday, April 8, 2027 at 20:30. Friday, April 9 at 20:30. Saturday, April 10 at 20:30. Sunday, April 11 at 16:00. The official page gives only the start date, "from April 8," and the theater box office currently lists these four performances. Any later dates will appear on the Sistina website with the same schedule.

The production

In the theater's presentation the show is produced by Il Sistina in collaboration with PeepArrow Entertainment, and the poster adds PRM Produzioni. It's the same team that in recent years has brought musicals like Mamma Mia! and Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa to Sistina.

The cast

Four actresses for four characters with almost identical names: Ida is Rossella Brescia, Ada is Rosalia Porcaro, Leda is Roberta Lanfranchi, Dada is Samuela Sardo. The name game is already a statement of intent: four versions of the same woman, four ways of being in the world.

The plot of Belle Ripiene

Dada, Ada, Ida and Leda are four friends who, looking for a personal comeback, decide to open a restaurant. The comedy takes place in the kitchen, while they wait for a Michelin inspector whose identity they don't know and who will decide on giving the restaurant a star.

Waiting for the inspector

While they prepare the dishes they hope will win the star, the women talk about their lives: men and children, dreams and mistakes, lives more or less fulfilled. The faceless inspector is the perfect comic engine: anyone who walks in could be him.

The twist

An unexpected event seriously threatens the survival of the venture. The official presentation says nothing more, and rightly so: in a comedy built on waiting, the twist belongs to the stage.

Women and food

The theater describes the show as a slice of female life in which women talk about themselves and their relationships with men, without forgetting their other great passion: food. Humor and sensitivity, in the production's words, "strictly in pink."

What you'll see: a real kitchen on the Sistina stage

What sets Belle Ripiene apart is the set: a large working kitchen where the four leads prepare real dishes in front of the audience. The production calls it a "tasty slimming comedy," set among lit stoves.

Teresa Caruso's set

The set designed by Teresa Caruso is a large, welcoming kitchen, meant to be lived in. The actresses move between counters and stoves as in a real restaurant, and the acting weaves together with the gestures of cooking.

Costumes and music

The costumes are by Cecilia Betona, the original music by Emanuele Friello, who also led the orchestra of Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa at Sistina. It's not a musical, but the music follows the comedy's changes of pace.

The smell in the hall

Really cooking on stage means the audience, especially in the front rows, smells the dishes. It's an effect no special effect can imitate, and it makes the show different from any other comedy on the bill.

Massimo Romeo Piparo and Giulia Ricciardi, the authors of Belle Ripiene

Massimo Romeo Piparo has been artistic director of Teatro Sistina since the 2013-2014 season. He wrote Belle Ripiene with Giulia Ricciardi, whom the production presents as one of the most active writers of women's comedy.

The director of Sistina's musicals

Under Piparo's direction Sistina has produced Mamma Mia!, Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, Evita, Billy Elliot, School of Rock, Il Marchese del Grillo, Cats, Matilda and West Side Story. Belle Ripiene is his venture into spoken comedy, with a lighter formula and a cast of just four.

Written by two

Having a writer who specializes in women's comedy explains the tone of the show: the lines come from conversations between friends, not from sketches. Piparo brings the pace and the sense of the stage, Ricciardi the language.

A proven team

Emanuele Friello, who wrote the music, conducted the orchestra of Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa, and Rossella Brescia has also starred at Sistina in Billy Elliot and Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa. Belle Ripiene was born inside the theater's artistic family.

The cast: Rossella Brescia, Roberta Lanfranchi, Rosalia Porcaro, Samuela Sardo

The four leads of Belle Ripiene come from different paths: dance and TV hosting for Rossella Brescia and Roberta Lanfranchi, Neapolitan theater and cabaret for Rosalia Porcaro, comedy for Samuela Sardo.

Rossella Brescia

Born in Martina Franca on August 20, 1971, she graduated with top marks from the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. She was prima ballerina of Buona Domenica from 1997, a dance teacher on Amici from 2001 to 2003, host of Colorado on Italia 1 from 2004 to 2010 and of Tutti pazzi per RDS since 2006, for which she received the Microfono d'Oro in 2022. On stage she played in Belle Ripiene from 2018 to 2022, Billy Elliot in 2023 and 2024 and Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa in 2026. She has also worked in TV drama, from Don Matteo to Carlo Verdone's Vita da Carlo.

Rosalia Porcaro

Born in Casoria on January 27, 1966, she trained from 1984 in the companies of Antonio Casagrande, Rino Marcelli and Renato Carpentieri, and debuted in 1985 at Teatro Bellini in Naples in a show based on Eduardo Scarpetta. She has performed texts by Basile, Pirandello, Feydeau and Laforgue. Fame came with the character of Veronica, born in 1997 at an evening at Maschio Angioino hosted by Francesco Paolantoni, and then with Natascha in Convenscion, Superconvenscion and L'ottavo nano. At Zelig Off and Zelig Circus she brought the character of Assundham, and in 2002 she performed Dario Fo and Franca Rame's "Una donna sola" for Rai 2.

Roberta Lanfranchi

Born in Cremona on April 7, 1974, she has studied dance since the age of four. In 1995 she was in the dance troupe of Non dimenticate lo spazzolino da denti with Fiorello, then on Buona Domenica with Lorella Cuccarini. In the 1996/1997 season she became a showgirl on Striscia la notizia with Marina Graziani, a role she took up again in 1998/1999, and in 1998 she was prima ballerina of Fantastica italiana on Rai 1 with Giancarlo Magalli. From 1999 she hosted Paperissima Sprint with Gabibbo, then Estatissima Sprint, and in 2000 she joined Gerry Scotti on Provini.

Samuela Sardo

Samuela Sardo completes the quartet as Dada, the fourth of the friends competing for the Michelin star. In the comedy she's the character with the shortest name, and the play of echoes with Ada, Ida and Leda runs through her too.

A curious fact about Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

The tastiest curious fact about Belle Ripiene is that two of the four leads, Rossella Brescia and Roberta Lanfranchi, both started as dancers on Buona Domenica, on Canale 5, in the 1990s. Brescia was its prima ballerina from 1997 for three seasons, and Lanfranchi was in the dance troupe the season before, with Lorella Cuccarini. 30 years later they meet again in a stage kitchen, acting instead of dancing.

The second curious fact concerns Sistina and the movies. The theater was built between 1946 and 1949 on the site of the church of Santa Francesca Romana, along what was then called Strada Felice, and opened on December 28, 1949 as a cinema and theater: the first film shown was Le mura di Malapaga. A few months later the ending of Totò cerca moglie was shot here, with Totò taking refuge in Sistina itself.

The third concerns Rosalia Porcaro. In 2005 she acted in Lorenzo Vignolo's film Tutti all'attacco, in the same cast as the Roman comedian Dado, who a few days after the Belle Ripiene opening, from April 15 to 18, is on stage at Teatro Olimpico. In April, Rome hosts a small reunion of that film split between two theaters.

Teatro Sistina, the home of Italian musical comedy

Teatro Sistina, at Via Sistina 129, opened on December 28, 1949, designed by Marcello Piacentini, with 1,015 seats in the orchestra and 566 in the gallery. Variety magazine called it Italy's answer to Broadway. The venue page is Teatro Sistina.

A hall without columns

The hall is semicircular, 28 meters wide and 30 deep, with no columns: the whole stage is visible from every seat. For a comedy in which the action happens around the stoves, the clear view is a real advantage, even from the gallery.

The orchestra pit

Sistina has an orchestra pit, designed for musical comedy. For Belle Ripiene, a spoken play with original music, the hall shows its other side: that of revue and light comedy.

From Garinei and Giovannini to Piparo

From 1960 to 2006 the theater was run by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini, the authors of Rugantino and Aggiungi un posto a tavola. Since 2013 the artistic director has been Massimo Romeo Piparo, who brought Sistina back to producing its own shows. The full program is on the official Sistina website.

Something nobody tells you about Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

What people don't say about Belle Ripiene is that the production calls it a "slimming comedy," and the label is ironic: there's talk of food for two hours, there's cooking on stage, and the audience leaves hungry. Here the practical advice is worth more than any review: don't go on an empty stomach, but don't go stuffed either. And book dinner for afterward.

The second thing concerns the cast. People tend to read Belle Ripiene as a show of TV faces, but two of the four leads have serious stage training: Rosalia Porcaro grew up in the Neapolitan companies of Casagrande and Carpentieri, performing Scarpetta, Pirandello and Feydeau, and has played Dario Fo and Franca Rame. Rossella Brescia graduated from the Accademia Nazionale di Danza and in recent years has carried two demanding musicals at Sistina. The tone is light, the technique isn't.

The third thing concerns the dates. The official page announces the show "from April 8, 2027" with no closing date, and for now four performances are on sale. If you want a good seat, especially for the Sunday afternoon, don't wait: Sistina comedies with well-known casts fill the front rows fast.

My tip for seeing Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

My tip for Belle Ripiene is an orchestra seat, at €45, in the central rows: in a comedy where they really cook, being close to the stage is part of the show. From the front rows you see the actresses' gestures at the stove and smell the food. From the gallery you still laugh, but you miss half the fun. The difference from the front orchestra is €4: if you find a seat there, take it.

As for which performance: Sunday at 16:00 suits people coming from outside Rome and anyone bringing their parents, because you get out in time for an unhurried dinner and the trip home. Saturday night has the liveliest audience. Thursday, opening night, has the excitement of the new season's debut.

One tip: arrive 20 minutes early. Sistina has a hall of more than 1,500 seats, and lines at the cloakroom form quickly. That much time is also enough for a photo of the lit facade from across the street. And if you're coming as a group, ask the box office about group conditions before buying individually.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

Almost everyone knows Rugantino and Aggiungi un posto a tavola were born at Sistina. Fewer remember that in the 1950s the theater risked becoming a cinema for good. A group of film industrialists turned it into a Cinerama hall, with a screen 27 meters wide and 11 high. The experiment failed and it went back to being a theater. Without that failure, Italian musical comedy would have had a different home.

The second fact concerns how stars are born. In 1953, at Sistina itself, Sandro Giovannini saw Delia Scala dance at a charity show and decided she would be the lead of the new musical theater he was creating with Garinei. Sistina has always been a theater that turns dancers into actresses.

Belle Ripiene fits this tradition more than it seems. Rossella Brescia and Roberta Lanfranchi started as dancers in TV variety, and today they carry a spoken comedy. From dance to acting, the same path Delia Scala took 70 years earlier, on the same stage.

How to get to Teatro Sistina for Belle Ripiene

Teatro Sistina is reached by Metro A, Barberini stop: from Piazza Barberini you walk up Via Sistina and the theater is at number 129, a few minutes away on foot.

By metro

Line A is the simplest way to get there, especially in the evening: from Termini to Barberini is two stops. For the trip back after evening performances, check the last trains on the transport company's route planner.

On foot from the center

Via Sistina connects Piazza Barberini with Trinità dei Monti, at the top of Piazza di Spagna steps. If you're in the center you can climb the steps and follow the flat street to the theater.

By car

Sistina is in the historic center, inside the limited traffic zone: driving is not recommended. If you're coming from outside Rome you can leave the car in a parking garage outside the ZTL and continue by metro.

By taxi

After evening performances a taxi is the most convenient option if you don't live along Line A. Piazza Barberini is an easy pickup point to give.

The right photo to take at Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

The right photo for Belle Ripiene is taken from across Via Sistina, with the theater sign and the lit facade in the frame, just before going in. In the evening the entrance lights and the crowd at the doors give the image of a living theater. When the show lets out the street fills up and the photo comes out worse.

For the Sunday performance at 16:00 the photo changes: the April afternoon light makes the street readable, and by walking up to Trinità dei Monti you can photograph the steps and the city from above before heading down to the theater. It's a shot that tells the story of the neighborhood better than any poster.

During the show, no photos or video: it's a theater rule and a sign of respect for the actresses, who in this comedy are also handling stoves and pans. The final applause, when the cast returns to the stage, is the moment to ask an usher if a photo is allowed.

And a themed photo, if you like the game: a Roman dish at dinner after the show, with your ticket beside it. Belle Ripiene is a comedy about cooking, and the natural end of the evening is at the table.

Via Sistina and the area around the theater

Teatro Sistina is between Piazza Barberini and Trinità dei Monti, in one of the most elegant parts of central Rome.

Piazza Barberini

At the foot of Via Sistina is Piazza Barberini with Bernini's Triton Fountain. Just above, Palazzo Barberini houses the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, and opposite begins Via Veneto.

Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio

At the other end of the street you reach Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio, with its terrace over Piazza del Popolo, and then Villa Borghese. With the Sunday afternoon performance, a morning walk on the Pincio is the ideal complement.

Toward Trevi

From Piazza Barberini, heading down toward Via del Tritone, you reach the Trevi Fountain in about 10 minutes, less crowded in the evening than during the day.

Some important events that happened here in history

On December 28, 1949 Sistina opened as a cinema and theater. A few days later the first revue went on stage, Bada che ti mangio, produced by Remigio Paone with Totò and Isa Barzizza. It was the start of a story that made Via Sistina the street of Italian musical comedy.

In October 1950 the curtain rose on Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini's La Bisarca, with sets by Giulio Coltellacci. On December 15, 1952 Attanasio cavallo vanesio opened with Renato Rascel, the first of a trilogy of musical fables with Alvaro piuttosto corsaro and Tobia la candida spia. In 1953 Giovannini discovered Delia Scala.

After the failed Cinerama interlude, from 1960 management passed to Garinei and Giovannini, who kept it until 2006. After Giovannini's death in 1977, Garinei ran it alone. These were the years of Rugantino, Aggiungi un posto a tavola, Il giorno della tartaruga, Un paio d'ali and Alleluja brava gente.

Since 2013 the artistic director has been Massimo Romeo Piparo, who brought Sistina back to producing its own shows: from 2014 Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, then Mamma Mia!, Cats, Matilda, West Side Story, and Billy Elliot from 2023 with Rossella Brescia. Belle Ripiene, staged in seasons between 2018 and 2022, returns in April 2027 for a new series of performances.

Who has passed through Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina in Rome, from April 8, 2027

Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Rascel, Delia Scala, Walter Chiari, Gino Bramieri, Johnny Dorelli, Bice Valori, Enrico Montesano, Gigi Proietti, Mariangela Melato and Sabrina Ferilli have crossed the Sistina stage, often debuting or making their names here. It's the most complete roster of Italian light entertainment of the second half of the 20th century.

Alongside them, Carlo Dapporto, Aldo Fabrizi, Paolo Panelli, Valerio Mastandrea, Massimo Ghini and Serena Autieri. And of course Totò, who opened the theater season here with Bada che ti mangio and starred in the ending of Totò cerca moglie, filmed in the theater itself. For an all-female comedy, Delia Scala, Bice Valori, Mariangela Melato and Sabrina Ferilli are the most illustrious precedents: actresses who made Sistina a stage for women in leading roles.

In the Piparo years John Legend, Massimo Ranieri, Ornella Vanoni, Renzo Arbore, Fiorello, Ted Neeley, Malika Ayane, Lillo, Enrico Montesano and Max Giusti in Il Marchese del Grillo have all appeared here.

With Belle Ripiene come back Rossella Brescia, who has already brought Billy Elliot and Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa to Sistina, Roberta Lanfranchi, Rosalia Porcaro and Samuela Sardo. Four women in a kitchen on a stage where, 70 years ago, a dancer named Delia Scala became a star.

Tickets and prices for Belle Ripiene

Belle Ripiene prices published by Teatro Sistina range from €30 in the third gallery to €49 in the front orchestra.

The price list

Front orchestra €49. Orchestra €45. First gallery €41. Second gallery €36. Third gallery €30. For the four performances on sale, the theater's online box office shows a starting price of €30.

Where to buy them

Tickets are sold on the official Sistina website, from the show page that links to the theater's online box office, or at the box office at Via Sistina 129.

Which section

For a comedy of words and cooking, the orchestra is worth the price. If you want to save, choose the first gallery, which in Sistina's column-free hall offers a full view of the stage.

Where to eat before and after Belle Ripiene

The area between Piazza Barberini, Via Sistina and Piazza di Spagna has plenty of restaurants, trattorias and bars, with prices on average higher than in other neighborhoods. After a show that talks only about food, dinner is part of the evening.

Before 20:30

With a 20:30 start it's better to have dinner afterward, or eat something light beforehand in the bars around Piazza Barberini and toward Via del Tritone.

After the show

When the show lets out, many kitchens in the center are still open, especially on Friday and Saturday. Heading down toward Trevi and the Pantheon the choice grows, and if you want to spend less you can move to Monti, a few metro stops away.

On Sunday

With the 16:00 performance you can have an unhurried lunch beforehand and get out in time for dinner. On Sunday the center is crowded: booking is wise.

Accessibility, kids and practical information

For accessibility needs, wheelchair spaces and companions, the contact is the Teatro Sistina box office, to be reached before buying.

With kids

Belle Ripiene is a comedy with adult themes, men, children, dreams and mistakes, but nothing harsh. Older kids can enjoy it, and for younger ones the Sunday afternoon performance is the only practical option.

Running time and interval

The running time is not given on the official page: ask the box office about the finishing time.

Arriving on time

At Sistina latecomers are let in only at specific moments. With more than 1,500 seats, arriving 20 minutes early avoids lines at the entrances and the cloakroom.

April 2027 at Sistina and nearby

Belle Ripiene opens April 2027 at Teatro Sistina, after a season that in the previous months features big musicals.

The Sistina season

In the same season the theater schedules Mamma Mia! in December and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert from February 2027.

Other theaters

For comedy in the same week, Dado is on stage with "Ti dirò…" at Teatro Olimpico in Flaminio from April 15 to 18, 2027. For musicals, Teatro Brancaccio also has a spring program.

Frequently asked questions about Belle Ripiene at Sistina

When is Belle Ripiene on at Teatro Sistina?

Belle Ripiene is on at Teatro Sistina in Rome from April 8, 2027. The performances on sale are Thursday the 8th, Friday the 9th and Saturday, April 10 at 20:30 and Sunday, April 11 at 16:00. The official page gives no closing date, and any new performances will follow the same schedule.

How much are tickets for Belle Ripiene?

Tickets for Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina cost €49 in the front orchestra, €45 in the orchestra, €41 in the first gallery, €36 in the second gallery and €30 in the third gallery, according to the price list published by the theater. They're sold on the official Sistina website or at the box office at Via Sistina 129.

Who are the actresses in Belle Ripiene?

The actresses in Belle Ripiene are Rossella Brescia as Ida, Rosalia Porcaro as Ada, Roberta Lanfranchi as Leda and Samuela Sardo as Dada. The director is Massimo Romeo Piparo, who wrote the play with Giulia Ricciardi.

What is Belle Ripiene about?

Belle Ripiene tells the story of four friends who open a restaurant to turn their lives around and wait in the kitchen for a Michelin inspector whose identity they don't know. Between one dish and the next they talk about men, children, dreams and mistakes, until an unexpected event puts everything at risk. The actresses cook real dishes on stage.

How do you get to Teatro Sistina?

Teatro Sistina is reached by Metro A, Barberini stop: from Piazza Barberini you walk up Via Sistina to number 129. From the center you can walk there by climbing the Trinità dei Monti steps and following the flat Via Sistina.

Is Belle Ripiene suitable for kids?

Belle Ripiene at Teatro Sistina is a light comedy with adult themes, men, children and life choices, suitable for older kids. For families the most convenient performance is Sunday at 16:00, and the others start at 20:30.

Is this the first time Belle Ripiene has been staged?

Belle Ripiene is not new: Sistina announces its return after the success of past seasons, and Rossella Brescia played in it from 2018 to 2022. The 2027 edition brings the quartet back together with Lanfranchi, Porcaro and Sardo.

My final tip

Some shows you watch and some you experience with all your senses, and Belle Ripiene belongs to the second kind: you laugh, you listen, you smell. My advice is the orchestra, the Sunday afternoon if you come with family, the Saturday night if you come with friends, and a dinner booked for afterward, between Barberini and Trevi. Leaving a comedy about food without sitting down at a table would be a shame.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

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