Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

Donatella Pandimiglio brings Nata libera, a one woman show recital with musical direction by Andrea Bianchi, to Teatro Ghione on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 20:30, for one night only and with a running time of 90 minutes. The theater is at Via delle Fornaci 37, 00165 Rome, a short walk from St. Peter's Square. Roma San Pietro station, served by the FL3 and FL5 regional trains, is a few minutes' walk away, and for bus lines it's best to use the ATAC journey planner. The prices published by the theater are 28 euros in the orchestra and 25 euros in the gallery. Tickets are sold on the official Teatro Ghione website, which links to the authorized ticketing platform, or by contacting the theater at 06 6372294 or info@teatroghione.it.

Nata libera in brief: date, time, prices

Nata libera at Teatro Ghione is a one-off event, Friday, November 13, 2026 at 20:30, with Donatella Pandimiglio alone on stage for 90 minutes.

One night only

Teatro Ghione lists a single performance, Friday, November 13 at 20:30. If you want to be there, there's no second chance on the calendar: it's the kind of evening worth buying for in advance.

Prices

The theater publishes two tiers: 28 euros for the orchestra and 25 euros for the gallery. The difference is small. In a recital where the voice is the star, the choice depends mostly on your personal preference between closeness to the stage and an overall view.

Who's on stage

On stage is Donatella Pandimiglio. Musical direction is by Andrea Bianchi. The running time given by the theater is 90 minutes.

The subtitle

Ghione presents the show with a subtitle, La commedia di una vita (the comedy of a life), and with three phrases: between famous songs and light comedy, a one woman show recital, fun, emotion and great music. These are the three souls of the evening.

What you see in Nata libera

Nata libera is a recital in which Donatella Pandimiglio retraces 48 years of career between popular song, singer-songwriter music, monologues, stories and great musicals.

New pages and historic pages

According to Teatro Ghione's presentation, the artist alternates new pages with the most significant pages of her career. The show winds between popular and singer-songwriter song, between monologues full of emotion and funny stories. It's the form of the actress-singer recital, where words introduce the song and the song closes the story.

The great artistic encounters

The journey passes through the great artistic encounters of her life. The theater names two models with whom her story has intertwined: Gigi Proietti and the Oscar winner Nicola Piovani. Pandimiglio, Ghione writes, keeps a memory of them that is renewed every time she takes on a new theatrical adventure.

Up to Lloyd Webber's musicals

The recital reaches the great musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's a chapter that in Pandimiglio's career has a precise title: Sunset Boulevard, staged as an Italian premiere at the Todi Festival with her and with Simone Leonardi as the male lead.

The signature pieces

The thread of the evening is her signature pieces: the songs and scenes that have marked almost half a century on stage, told in the first person by the performer. The song list hasn't been published.

Donatella Pandimiglio, actress and singer

Donatella Pandimiglio is an actress and singer with 48 years of career, who grew artistically alongside Gigi Proietti and Nicola Piovani, a musical performer, a singing voice in dubbing and a teacher.

I sette re di Roma

Her link with Proietti and Piovani has a historic title: I sette re di Roma, the musical show by Luigi Magni directed by Pietro Garinei with music by Nicola Piovani, on stage at Teatro Sistina in Rome for several seasons starting on February 14, 1989. Proietti alone played Tiberino, Aeneas, Romulus and all the kings, from Numa Pompilius to Tarquin the Proud. Beside him were Gianni Bonagura as Janus, Elisabetta De Vito, Marina Lorenzi, Simona Patitucci, Elena Berera. Donatella Pandimiglio was Ocrisia.

Musicals

Musicals are one of the strands of her career. Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, an Italian premiere at the Todi Festival alongside Simone Leonardi, the male lead, is the title the recital recalls in its final part, devoted to the great musicals of the English composer.

The singing voice in dubbing

Pandimiglio is also a singing voice in dubbing. In the film Ballo ballo she voiced the sung parts of the character Rosa, dubbed in the spoken parts by Marina Tagliaferri. In the film Gabby's Dollhouse she sang for Grandma Gigi, dubbed in the dialogue by Melina Martello. It's invisible work, which many viewers know without knowing whose voice it is.

The Voice Senior

TV audiences saw her among the contestants of the music talent show The Voice Senior: a national showcase for a voice the theater had known for decades.

Teaching and directing

Pandimiglio was among the teachers at a performing arts school with artistic direction by Simona Marchini, alongside Franco Miseria, Shawna Farrell and Franco Mescolini: among that school's students was Lorenzo Branchetti. In 2014 she co-directed with Antonio Di Vaio Pensieri così, a show about Vincenzo Cerami with Fabio Morici.

Andrea Bianchi

The musical direction of Nata libera is by Andrea Bianchi. In a recital ranging from popular song to musicals, the musical director's job is to give coherence to very different repertoires, finding a single sound for the evening.

Teatro Ghione, the hall on Via delle Fornaci

Teatro Ghione is a hall of about 500 seats at Via delle Fornaci 37, a short walk from the Vatican, named after the actress Ileana Ghione, its founder and director until 2005.

The birth of the theater

On December 9, 1980 Ileana Ghione bought and refitted the old theater on Via delle Fornaci, which has carried her name ever since. An actress becoming owner and director of a hall remains a rare case in the history of Roman theaters.

The repertoire

Ghione's historic program is classical repertoire, with Wilde, Pirandello, Shakespeare and Goldoni, alongside concerts and music evenings. In recent years the hall has increasingly hosted recitals, tributes, comedy and shows outside the subscription season, like Nata libera.

Services

Roma Capitale's tourism portal lists Ghione as accessible to people with disabilities and mentions a dog sitting service. The theater's website has pages on accessibility and parking in the area, with a free outdoor lot, the San Pietro parking garage and a private garage.

Ileana Ghione, the actress who gave the theater its name

Ileana Ghione, born in Cortemilia on January 15, 1931 and died in Rome on December 3, 2005, was a stage actress and a face of TV dramas before becoming director of the hall that bears her name.

Drama school and television

In the 1950s she studied at the Accademia d'arte drammatica in Rome, where her teachers included Sergio Tofano. TV dramas made her popular: Jane Eyre, Una tragedia americana, David Copperfield, I Buddenbrook, Madame Curie, Una donna. On stage she is remembered for Giacosa's Come le foglie, alongside Tino Carraro.

Running the hall

From 1980 Ghione was her home. On November 25, 1986 George Bernard Shaw's Candida was staged there, directed by Silverio Blasi. In 2001 she was named Grande Ufficiale of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In December 2005, while performing Euripides' Hecuba on the stage of her theater, she was taken ill and died shortly after. Her body lay in state in the same hall.

How to get to Teatro Ghione for Nata libera

The most convenient way to reach Teatro Ghione is the FL3 or FL5 regional train to Roma San Pietro station, a few minutes' walk from Via delle Fornaci 37.

By train

Roma San Pietro station, opened in 1894 with the line to Viterbo, is served by the FL3 and FL5 regional trains. In the forecourt there's a bus stop and a taxi stand.

By bus

Surface lines use San Pietro station and Largo di Porta Cavalleggeri, at the start of Via delle Fornaci, as reference points. To choose the line and check Friday evening runs, it's best to use the ATAC journey planner before going out.

By car

The theater's website mentions nearby a free outdoor lot, the San Pietro parking garage and a private garage. Street parking on a Friday evening isn't easy, and the area around the basilica has traffic restrictions.

By taxi

A taxi is the simplest option for getting home, with the stand at San Pietro station a few minutes' walk from the theater. With a 90-minute show starting at 20:30, you'll be out around 22:00.

Tickets for Nata libera at Teatro Ghione

For Nata libera Teatro Ghione publishes two prices: 28 euros in the orchestra, 25 euros in the gallery.

Where to buy them

From the show's page on the Ghione website you can buy online on the authorized ticketing platform. For information and reservations the theater answers at 06 6372294, also on WhatsApp, and at info@teatroghione.it.

Culture cards and bonuses

The theater's website mentions that you can buy with the culture cards provided by law: if you're eligible, check the conditions before buying.

Orchestra or gallery

The orchestra puts you a few meters from the performer's voice and gestures. The gallery offers an overall view and costs three euros less. In a recital with a single performer on stage, in our view the orchestra is worth the difference.

How to plan the Nata libera evening

Nata libera at Teatro Ghione starts at 20:30 on a Friday and lasts 90 minutes: you're out around 22:00, in time for a late dinner or an after-theater drink in Borgo or Prati.

Before the show

With a 20:30 start there's time for an aperitivo or a light meal in the streets around Via delle Fornaci or toward Via Gregorio VII. If you arrive in the afternoon you can stop by St. Peter's Square, a few minutes' walk away.

After the show

On Friday evenings Borgo and Prati stay lively: neighborhood trattorias and pizzerias are open late. It's best to book, because the weekend starts that very evening.

Where to eat nearby

Around Ghione the offer is that of the Vatican area: tourist places near the square and neighborhood restaurants in the residential streets at the foot of the Janiculum. The ones frequented by residents have more honest prices.

Accessibility, age and services at Teatro Ghione

Teatro Ghione is listed as accessible to people with disabilities by Roma Capitale's tourism portal, and the theater's website has a page devoted to accessibility.

People with disabilities

If you use a wheelchair or need assistance, it's best to call 06 6372294 beforehand to find out how access to the hall is organized and where the reserved spaces are.

Who the evening is for

Nata libera is a recital of famous songs and light comedy, suited to an adult audience and to families with young people who love musicals. Anyone who grew up with Gigi Proietti's shows will find a piece of that history.

A curious fact about Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

The nicest curious fact about Nata libera is a coincidence of dates and places. Donatella Pandimiglio names Gigi Proietti and Nicola Piovani as her models, and the two names meet in one specific show: I sette re di Roma, by Luigi Magni, directed by Pietro Garinei, which opened at Teatro Sistina on February 14, 1989 and stayed on stage for several seasons. Proietti played all the kings of Rome and many other characters. Piovani wrote the music. Pandimiglio was in the cast, as Ocrisia. The show told the story of early Rome in a comic and satirical key, from Romulus to Tarquin the Proud, and ended with the birth of the Republic. The second curious fact concerns the hall: Ghione is a few hundred meters from the Leonine Walls and Porta Cavalleggeri, in the area that in 1849 saw the defense of the Roman Republic. A recital born from a show about the kings of Rome is staged next to the places of the Republic. The third curious fact lies in dubbing: many viewers know Pandimiglio's voice without realizing it, because she's the singing voice of Rosa in the film Ballo ballo and of Grandma Gigi in Gabby's Dollhouse.

Something nobody tells you about Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

Nobody says it, but Nata libera is a lesson in the history of Roman musical theater in 90 minutes. Donatella Pandimiglio has 48 years of career, and the recital runs through them: popular song, singer-songwriter music, light comedy, the great artistic encounters, Lloyd Webber's musicals. For those who loved the Sistina shows of the 1980s and 1990s it's a homecoming. For younger people it's a way to get to know a tradition, that of Italian musical comedy, told by someone who was part of it. The second thing nobody says concerns the price. A recital with a musical director, in a 500-seat theater a short walk from St. Peter's, costs 28 euros in the orchestra: less than many club concerts. The third concerns the hall. Teatro Ghione was founded by an actress, Ileana Ghione, who performed there to the very end, until the Hecuba of December 2005. A woman telling her own life as an artist on the stage of a theater born from the life of another artist creates a dialogue the audience senses even without knowing it. The fourth: there's only one night. If you wait for word of mouth, you'll be too late.

My tip for visiting Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

The tip for Nata libera at Teatro Ghione is to buy right away, choose the orchestra and turn the evening into a Roman Friday between St. Peter's and Borgo. Arrive in the late afternoon on the regional train to San Pietro station, stop by St. Peter's Square when the colonnade is lit, have a drink in the streets around Via delle Fornaci and be in your seat at 20:15. The show lasts 90 minutes: at 22:00 you're out and off to dinner in Borgo, with a table booked in advance, because on Fridays the area fills up. If you know I sette re di Roma, it's worth listening to a few songs in the days before: finding Piovani and the echo of Proietti inside the recital will be an extra pleasure. If you don't know it, you can do the reverse and look up the show after the evening. A second tip is for those coming with young people who love musicals: the finale devoted to Lloyd Webber is the moment that speaks to them too. The third is practical: getting home. The taxi stand at San Pietro station is a few minutes' walk away, and on a Friday night it's the fastest solution for anyone who lives far away.

Another well-known fact, yet not often mentioned

It's well known that Gigi Proietti was the great star of Roman theater in the second half of the 20th century. Less often mentioned is that one of his best-loved shows, I sette re di Roma, was an ensemble musical, with a company of actor-singers in which each had their own moment. Beside Proietti were Gianni Bonagura, narrator as the god Janus, Elisabetta De Vito as Tanaquil, Marina Lorenzi as Tarpeia and Lucretia, Simona Patitucci as Horatia, Elena Berera as Hersilia, and Donatella Pandimiglio as Ocrisia. The choreography was by Micha van Hoecke, the sets by Uberto Bertacca, the costumes by Lucia Mirasola. The show had a political and satirical soul: Luigi Magni used the legend of the kings to talk about the eternal Rome, about power and its hypocrisy. Among the songs were titles like Ecco che ariva er Sole, Tiberino, Il Gianicolo, Le donne a Roma. A second little-remembered fact concerns Teatro Ghione: the hall was bought by Ileana Ghione on December 9, 1980, and its repertoire was for a long time a classical one. The opening to recitals and music, like Nata libera, is a more recent chapter in its history, showing how a drama hall can also welcome musical theater.

The right photo to take at Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

The right photo of an evening at Nata libera at Teatro Ghione is taken before going in, in St. Peter's Square, a few minutes' walk away. On a November evening Bernini's colonnade and the basilica's facade are lit, and from the back of the square, toward Via della Conciliazione, you can frame the whole scene with the dome above. It's a classic photo, but at that hour the square is calmer than by day. The second photo is at Porta Cavalleggeri, at the start of Via delle Fornaci: the gate in the Leonine Walls still bears two Borgia coats of arms, placed there by Pope Alexander VI, and in the streetlight it becomes a historic backdrop a few steps from the theater. The third is of the poster at the Ghione entrance, at Via delle Fornaci 37, with Donatella Pandimiglio's name and the title Nata libera: the souvenir of an evening with no repeats. At the end of the show, if the artist stops to greet the audience, that's the moment to politely ask for a picture. In the hall, during the recital, no photos and no videos: a live voice deserves full attention, and a lit phone screen disturbs whoever is sitting behind you.

Some important events that happened here in history

The area of Teatro Ghione is that of the Leonine Walls, which protected the area around St. Peter's Basilica. Porta Cavalleggeri, one of the openings in those walls at the start of Via delle Fornaci, still bears two Borgia coats of arms, placed there by Pope Alexander VI. On April 30, 1849, right at Porta Cavalleggeri, the first attack of the French troops against the Roman Republic was repelled. Among the defenders was a young actor destined for a famous career, Tommaso Salvini: a thread linking this corner of Rome to theater more than a century before Ghione was born. In 1894 Roma San Pietro station opened, on the line to Viterbo, which in the 20th century also became a film set. On December 9, 1980 Ileana Ghione bought and refitted the old theater on Via delle Fornaci, giving it her own name. On November 25, 1986 Shaw's Candida was staged there, directed by Silverio Blasi. In December 2005 Ghione herself, taken ill on stage during Euripides' Hecuba, died shortly after. Her body lay in state in the hall. On November 13, 2026 the hall hosts Nata libera, the recital in which Donatella Pandimiglio tells of her 48 years of career.

Who has passed through Donatella Pandimiglio in Nata libera at Teatro Ghione, November 13, 2026

With Nata libera the great names who have crossed Donatella Pandimiglio's career pass across the Ghione stage, at least in the telling. Gigi Proietti, her declared model, Nicola Piovani, Oscar winner, composer of the music for I sette re di Roma, Luigi Magni, author of that text, Pietro Garinei, who directed it at Teatro Sistina, Gianni Bonagura, Simona Patitucci, Elena Berera and the other members of that company. Then Andrew Lloyd Webber, with the music of Sunset Boulevard, and Simone Leonardi, her stage partner in Todi. In the dubbing world, Marina Tagliaferri and Melina Martello, the speaking voices of the characters to whom Pandimiglio gave a singing voice. At school, Simona Marchini, Franco Miseria, Shawna Farrell, Franco Mescolini. Across the Ghione stage, before her, passed above all Ileana Ghione, a student of Sergio Tofano, a face of TV dramas, stage partner of Tino Carraro, founder and director for 25 years. This season Ghione hosts very different evenings: Le stelle di Lucio, devoted to Lucio Dalla, the comedy of Francesca Reggiani, the flamenco of FlaMENcos. On November 13 it's Donatella Pandimiglio's turn.

What to see around Teatro Ghione

Teatro Ghione is a few minutes' walk from St. Peter's Square, with Borgo, the Janiculum and the Vatican Museums within walking distance.

St. Peter's Square and Basilica

St. Peter's Square is the theater's most illustrious neighbor. If you arrive in the afternoon you can go into St. Peter's Basilica, allowing for security checks and opening hours, to be checked on the official website.

Borgo and Castel Sant'Angelo

Between St. Peter's and the Tiber lies the Borgo district, with the streets parallel to Via della Conciliazione, which leads toward Castel Sant'Angelo. It's the most convenient area for after the theater.

The Janiculum

Behind the theater rises the Janiculum, with its terrace overlooking the city: a walk to take in the afternoon, before it gets dark.

I sette re di Roma, the show at the roots of Nata libera

I sette re di Roma is the musical show by Luigi Magni, with music by Nicola Piovani and directed by Pietro Garinei, which from February 14, 1989 brought together at Teatro Sistina Gigi Proietti and a company that included Donatella Pandimiglio.

Roman history in a comic key

The show tells the age of the kings, from Aeneas's arrival in Lazio to the expulsion of the Tarquins. Tiberino, the personification of the Tiber, introduces his father Janus, who acts as narrator. Then come Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius and Tarquin the Proud, all played by Proietti. The finale hails the return of the Sun and the birth of the Republic.

A political and satirical soul

Magni used the legend to talk about the eternal Rome: power and its hypocrisy, propaganda, the humanity of the city with its miseries and its pride. The register of the choruses and the narrator often turned the show into an appeal to the Sistina audience to learn a lesson from what it was watching.

Piovani's songs

Piovani's score, in the tradition of the Italian musical, included songs like Ecco che ariva er Sole, Tiberino, Aprile, aprile, L'amore va da sé, Orazia, Il Gianicolo, Le donne a Roma, Sogni de giorno and the finale Ecco che torna er Sole. Those who hear Nata libera knowing where the performer comes from recognize the taste: the song that tells a story, that makes you laugh and moves you in the same piece.

The actress-singer recital, a form worth rediscovering

Nata libera belongs to a specific form of musical theater, the actress-singer recital, in which a single performer holds the stage alternating song and spoken word.

Between concert and theater

The recital isn't a concert, because between one song and the next there's storytelling, and it isn't a monologue, because the story melts into song. Ghione calls it a one woman show, between famous songs and light comedy: that's the measure of an evening where voice and stage presence count as much as the repertoire.

Why in a drama hall

A 500-seat theater with a history of classical drama, like Ghione, is the right space: big enough for music, intimate enough for words to carry without excessive amplification. In our view it's the setting that best does justice to a musical theater performer.

November at Ghione

Mid-November is a quiet time for the St. Peter's area: tourist flows drop, and in the evening the streets around Via delle Fornaci go back to the residents. For a Friday at the theater it's the best time of year, with the square lit and less crowded and time for an unhurried dinner after the show.

FAQ about Nata libera

When is Donatella Pandimiglio's Nata libera on stage?

Donatella Pandimiglio's Nata libera is on stage at Teatro Ghione on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 20:30. It's a single evening, with a running time of 90 minutes given by the theater: you should be out around 22:00.

How much is the ticket for Nata libera?

The ticket for Nata libera at Teatro Ghione costs 28 euros in the orchestra and 25 euros in the gallery, according to the theater's website. You buy it online from the show's page, which links to the authorized ticketing platform, or by contacting the theater at 06 6372294.

What kind of show is Nata libera?

Nata libera is a one woman show recital in which Donatella Pandimiglio alternates popular and singer-songwriter songs, monologues, funny stories and pieces from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals. It's the story of her signature pieces over 48 years of career, with musical direction by Andrea Bianchi.

Who is Donatella Pandimiglio?

Donatella Pandimiglio is a musical theater actress and singer with 48 years of career. She was Ocrisia in I sette re di Roma with Gigi Proietti and music by Nicola Piovani, performed in Sunset Boulevard at the Todi Festival, is a singing voice in dubbing and was a contestant on The Voice Senior.

Where is Teatro Ghione?

Teatro Ghione is at Via delle Fornaci 37, 00165 Rome, a few minutes' walk from St. Peter's Square. It's a hall of about 500 seats founded in 1980 by the actress Ileana Ghione, who ran it until 2005.

How do you get to Teatro Ghione by public transportation?

Teatro Ghione can be reached on the FL3 and FL5 regional trains to Roma San Pietro station, a few minutes' walk away. For buses, which use the station and Largo di Porta Cavalleggeri as reference points, it's best to check the ATAC journey planner.

Final advice on Nata libera

Nata libera is, in our view, an evening for those who love Roman musical theater and its history: a single performance, a performer who worked with Proietti and Piovani, a repertoire ranging from popular song to Lloyd Webber, in a hall founded by another great actress. The advice is to buy right away, choose the orchestra and devote the rest of the evening to St. Peter's and Borgo.

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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