La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

From April 21, 2027 Serena Autieri brings La Sciantosa to Teatro Sistina, Via Sistina 129 (00187 Rome), the show devoted to Elvira Donnarumma and to the Neapolitan song of the Belle Époque, produced by Engage. Sistina gives the times as Wednesday to Saturday at 20:30 and Sunday at 16:00. Opening night is Wednesday, April 21, 2027. The theater is a short walk from Piazza Barberini, served by Metro A, Barberini stop. The prices published by the theater are €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. Tickets are sold on the official Sistina website, through the online box office linked from the show page, or at the box office on Via Sistina: the theater says they go on sale soon.

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

Joined by her musicians, Serena Autieri brings back to life the first sciantosa, the anti-diva who invented the famous "mossa" and drove the café-chantant crowds wild, on a journey that goes from the laughs of 'A tazz' 'e café to the shivers of Reginella, all the way to rare songs. Sistina writes that the artist is finally coming to Rome with this show: after years of performances, it was about time. Here you'll find who the sciantosa was, who Serena Autieri is, what Sistina is like and how to plan your evening.

La Sciantosa at Sistina in brief: dates, times and prices

La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri opens at Teatro Sistina on Wednesday, April 21, 2027 at 20:30. The theater publishes the start date and the weekly times, but not yet the date of the last performance: for the full calendar, check the show's official page.

Times

• Wednesday to Saturday: 20:30.
• Sunday: 16:00.

Prices

• Front orchestra (poltronissima): €49.
• Orchestra (poltrona): €45.
• First gallery: €41.
• Second gallery: €36.
• Third gallery: €30.

Production

The show is presented by Engage. On stage are Serena Autieri and her musicians. At the moment the Sistina page does not give the director, the band lineup or the running time.

What La Sciantosa is: the Neapolitan Belle Époque on stage

La Sciantosa is a theater and music show built around Elvira Donnarumma, whom Sistina presents as the first sciantosa, the anti-diva who invented the legendary "mossa."

The era

The story is set in the golden age of Neapolitan song, caught at its peak, before the light tunes of variety gave way to the patriotic anthems of the Great War. It is a world of nightclubs, small bands, singers who become famous overnight and songs that everyone learns by heart.

The repertoire

Sistina names two titles as the two ends of the journey: 'A tazz' 'e café, for the laughs, and Reginella, for the passion. In between, the theater writes, are rarities you seldom hear sung with so much life. The full set list has not been published, and I won't reconstruct it here.

A show with a history

La Sciantosa is not new. Serena Autieri performed it for a long time, directed by Gino Landi, from 2013 to 2018, then in the version #LaSciantosa, la prima influencer, between 2018 and 2019, and in January 2023 in Taranto as a concert with Orchestra della Magna Grecia. Its arrival at Sistina in 2027 is the Rome stop of a character the actress has lived in for more than 10 years.

Elvira Donnarumma and the "mossa": who the first sciantosa was

Elvira Donnarumma is the protagonist of the show: Sistina describes her as the first sciantosa, an anti-diva who could drive the cafés chantants wild and sketch a new picture of femininity.

An anti-diva

The word chosen by the theater is precise. Anti-diva means a woman who wins over the audience with irony and presence, not with postcard beauty. It is the key to the character Autieri builds: a show woman who laughs at herself and at the men in the audience.

A new femininity

Sistina insists on this point: the sciantosa as a figure who redraws the role of women in show business, before the war. The 2018 version of the show, after all, was called La prima influencer. The comparison with our own time is intentional, and it works: a woman who sets a fashion with a gesture.

What to know before you go

You don't need to know the history of the café chantant to enjoy the evening: the story is built for people who arrive knowing nothing. If you want to prepare, listen to a historic recording of Reginella before leaving home, and compare it with the one you'll hear in the hall.

Serena Autieri: her biography, from Naples to Sistina

Serena Autieri is an actress, singer and television host born in Naples, in the Soccavo neighborhood, on April 4, 1976. As a child she studied classical dance, singing and acting. She graduated from the Istituto d'arte in Naples and studied architecture at Università Federico II, leaving it for the stage.

Early years: the album and Un posto al sole

In 1997 she recorded her first album, Anima soul, and sang the theme of the Bologna concert in honor of Pope John Paul II. From 1998 to 2000 she played Sara De Vito, a singer, in the Rai 3 soap opera Un posto al sole. In 2001 she co-hosted Stranamore on Canale 5 with Alberto Castagna, and between 2001 and 2002 she was one of the leads of Vento di ponente on Rai 2.

Musicals and Sanremo

In the 2002 and 2003 season she starred in the musical Bulli e pupe: thanks to that role Pippo Baudo chose her, with Claudia Gerini, to co-host the 2003 Sanremo Festival with him. Right after came Vacanze romane, with Massimo Ghini and directed by Pietro Garinei, previewed at Teatro Sistina itself on February 17, 2003 and taken on tour in the 2004 and 2005 season.

Film and TV drama

In film she worked with Fausto Brizzi in Notte prima degli esami, oggi and Femmine contro maschi, with Neri Parenti in Natale in Sudafrica, with Alessandro Siani in Il principe abusivo and Si accettano miracoli, with Leonardo Pieraccioni in Un fantastico via vai, with Carlo Vanzina in Sapore di te, and with Vincenzo Salemme in Se mi lasci non vale. On television she appeared in the miniseries Callas e Onassis and Nel bianco, in the series L'onore e il rispetto and, between 2024 and 2025, in the Rai drama A casa di papà.

Elsa in Frozen

In 2013 Disney chose her to voice and sing Elsa in the Italian version of Frozen. She returned to the role in Frozen II in 2019 and in the short films of the saga, and she also voiced Elsa in the series Once Upon a Time. For many young Italians her voice is first of all the voice of the snow queen.

Television and big stages

In 2012 she won Tale e quale show on Rai 1, impersonating Barbra Streisand, Antonella Ruggiero, Lady Gaga and Loretta Goggi. She has hosted Prodigi, la musica è vita, Dedicato on Rai 1 since 2021, Notte azzurra for the national team's European Championship win, the Monte Carlo Circus Festival and, in 2025, the talk show Serenight. In 2022 she sang a duet with Renato Zero at Circus Maximus. Between 2023 and 2025 she followed the world tour of the ship Amerigo Vespucci, singing in the ports of Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, and on its return she sang the world premiere of the anthem Meravigliosa with 250 musicians from the military bands. In April 2025 she was the patron of the Italian pavilion at Expo Osaka.

Theater and awards

In theater, besides La Sciantosa, she has worked with Giorgio Albertazzi in Shakespeare in jazz, Facce da teatro and A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Massimo Romeo Piparo in Rinaldo in campo, Rugantino and Moulin Rouge, il musical, and with Vincenzo Incenzo in Diana e Lady D and Rosso napoletano. She was in the cast of My Fair Lady between 2023 and 2025. She received the Premio Flaiano in 2004 for Vacanze romane, the Italian Musical Award for best leading actress in 2016, the Premio Lunezia for Diana e Lady D and, in 2019, the Premio Renato Rascel as Gran Premio Interprete di Musical.

A curious fact about La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

The curious fact is that Serena Autieri and Teatro Sistina have known each other for more than 20 years. On February 17, 2003 Sistina staged the preview of Vacanze romane, the musical with Massimo Ghini directed by Pietro Garinei, the man who had run the theater for almost half a century with Sandro Giovannini. For that role, the following year, Autieri received the Premio Flaiano for musicals.

In 2009 she came back to Sistina with Shakespeare in jazz alongside Giorgio Albertazzi, a musical show already presented in 2006 at the Roman Theater of Verona and later broadcast by Rai 2. Her name appears in the list of artists who debuted or were consecrated at Sistina, next to Mastroianni, Rascel, Delia Scala, Proietti and Montesano.

There is also a thread that ties the actress to the theater's current management. Massimo Romeo Piparo, artistic director of Sistina since 2013, directed her in Garinei and Giovannini's Rinaldo in campo, in Rugantino and, in 2026, in Moulin Rouge, il musical. La Sciantosa, though, is her own show, built over the years with Gino Landi: coming to Sistina with her own character, and not with someone else's, is a kind of maturity you can feel.

Teatro Sistina, Italy's answer to Broadway

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

A hall without columns

The hall is semicircular, 28 meters wide and 30 deep, with no columns: from every seat you see the stage with nothing in the way. For a show of voice and music like La Sciantosa, the gallery remains a perfectly good choice.

Where a church once stood

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. The first film shown was Le mura di Malapaga, and the first revue was Bada che ti mangio, with Totò and Isa Barzizza.

The temple of musical comedy

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

Something nobody tells you about La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

What almost nobody says is that, as of today, only the start of the La Sciantosa calendar at Sistina is known. The theater writes "from April 21, 2027," gives the weekly times and says tickets go on sale soon, but does not publish the date of the last performance. If you want to go on a specific day, keep an eye on the official page and buy as soon as sales open.

The second thing concerns the audience. The show is designed for people who want to sing from the first to the last moment, Sistina writes: it is not a concert to listen to in reverent silence. With a repertoire that many in the hall know by heart, expect to hear the audience join in the choruses. If you are looking for a scholarly performance, you've picked the wrong night. If you are looking for the atmosphere of a café chantant, you're in the right place.

The third thing is practical. With a hall of more than 1,500 seats and an audience that often arrives in groups, the foyer fills up in the last quarter of an hour. Arriving 20 minutes early is the minimum to settle in without rushing, and at Sistina, as in all large theaters, latecomers are let in only at set moments.

My tip for La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

For La Sciantosa my tip is Sunday afternoon at 16:00, in the first gallery. You come out while there is still late-spring daylight, and you have plenty of time for a walk to Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio or for an early dinner in the center. If you live in Rome, a midweek evening has the advantage of a quieter center.

On seats my view is clear. With prices from €30 to €49, the first gallery at €41 gives the best overall view of a show where the voice, the musicians and the actress's stagecraft are what count. The front orchestra makes sense if you want to see Autieri's expressions up close, which in La Sciantosa are half the show. The third gallery at €30 is still decent: the hall has no columns.

Third tip: arrive from above. If you have time, get off the metro at Spagna, climb the Spanish Steps up to Trinità dei Monti and walk along the flat stretch of Via Sistina to number 129. In spring the steps are worth the effort. For the way back, the Barberini metro stop is a short walk away.

How to get to Teatro Sistina

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 on foot.

By metro

Line A is the easiest way to get there and back. From Barberini to Termini it is two stops: if you arrive by train you don't need any other transport.

On foot from the center

Via Sistina connects Piazza Barberini to Trinità dei Monti, at the top of the steps of Piazza di Spagna. If you are in the center you can climb the steps and walk along the flat street.

By bus

For the surface lines serving Piazza Barberini and Via del Tritone, check the ATAC route planner on the day itself: in the evening frequencies and routes change.

By car and taxi

Sistina is in the historic center, inside the ZTL limited traffic zone: driving is not recommended. If you are coming from outside the city, leave the car in a parking lot outside the limited traffic zone and continue by metro. For the evening exit a taxi is convenient if you don't live near Line A: Piazza Barberini is an easy pickup point to give.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

It's well known that Serena Autieri sings: anyone who saw her on Tale e quale show or heard Elsa in Frozen knows it. Less often remembered is how much her career is tied to song and to official occasions as a singer, even before as an actress. In 1997 she sang the theme of the Bologna concert in honor of John Paul II. In Un posto al sole, between 1998 and 2000, her character was a singer.

Over the years she has performed in places that rarely host a TV drama actress: at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, at Petruzzelli in Bari with the Italian Big Band, at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in April 2023 for the 171st anniversary of the Polizia di Stato, and at the Colosseum Archaeological Park with the band of the Italian Air Force in 2024. In 2004 she represented Italy at the Columbus Day celebrations in New York with a concert at Manhattan Center.

La Sciantosa is the point where these two paths, the actress and the singer, meet. If you go to Sistina you see the two halves of the same craft on the same evening.

The right photo to take at La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

The Sistina photo is taken from the other side of Via Sistina, with the sign, the lit facade and the La Sciantosa poster in the frame. In the evening, before the show, the light of the entrance and the crowd at the doors give the picture of a living theater. Take it when you arrive: on the way out the street fills up and the photo comes out worse.

If you come as a group of girlfriends, there is a photo on theme: everyone posing in front of the poster, with a flower in their hair or a feather boa, doing the "mossa." It's the photo that will make you laugh for years, and the sciantosa would approve.

The third photo is taken at Trinità dei Monti, at the end of Via Sistina, with the Spanish Steps below you. It is a few minutes from the theater and, for the Sunday performance that lets out in the late afternoon, the late-April light is just right.

Inside, during the show, no photos or videos: it is a theater rule and a form of respect toward the artist and the musicians. The final applause is the moment to ask an usher if a shot is allowed.

Some important events that happened here in history

On December 28, 1949 Sistina opened as a cinema and theater. Shortly after came the first revue, Bada che ti mangio, produced by Remigio Paone, with Totò and Isa Barzizza. In October 1950 the curtain rose on La Bisarca by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini, with sets by Giulio Coltellacci. On December 15, 1952 Attanasio cavallo vanesio opened with Renato Rascel, the first of a trilogy of musical fairy tales that started the era of Italian musical comedy.

In 1953, during a charity show, Sandro Giovannini saw Delia Scala dance a Charleston and decided she would be the star of the new musical theater. After the failed Cinerama interlude, with a screen 27 meters wide, in 1960 management passed to Garinei and Giovannini, who kept it until 2006. These were the years of Rugantino, Aggiungi un posto a tavola, Il giorno della tartaruga, Un paio d'ali and Alleluja brava gente.

On February 17, 2003 Vacanze romane was previewed with Massimo Ghini and Serena Autieri, directed by Pietro Garinei. Since 2013 the artistic director has been Massimo Romeo Piparo, who brought Sistina back to producing its own musicals: Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, Mamma Mia!, Evita, Billy Elliot, School of Rock, Cats, Matilda and West Side Story. In April 2027 La Sciantosa brings the star of that preview back to this stage.

Who has passed through La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri at Teatro Sistina, from April 21, 2027

The great names of Italian show business have crossed the Sistina stage, and many of them debuted or were consecrated here: Marcello Mastroianni, Renato Rascel, Delia Scala, Carlo Dapporto, Aldo Fabrizi, Walter Chiari, Gino Bramieri, Johnny Dorelli, Paolo Panelli, Bice Valori, Enrico Montesano, Gigi Proietti, Mariangela Melato, Sabrina Ferilli, Valerio Mastandrea, Massimo Ghini and Serena Autieri. And Totò, who opened the theater season here with a revue.

In the years under Piparo, Sistina has hosted concerts by John Legend, Massimo Ranieri, Ornella Vanoni, Renzo Arbore and Fiorello.

Among these names, some have a direct link with April's star. Massimo Ghini was her partner in Vacanze romane in 2003. Pietro Garinei directed her in the same show. Giorgio Albertazzi wanted her for Shakespeare in jazz, brought to Sistina in 2009. Massimo Romeo Piparo directed her in Rugantino and in Moulin Rouge. Serena Autieri comes to Sistina the way you come home, with a show entirely her own.

Via Sistina and the area around the theater

Teatro Sistina stands 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 the Triton Fountain. A little higher up, Palazzo Barberini houses the Galleria nazionale d'arte antica, and opposite it begins Via Veneto.

Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio

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

Toward Trevi

Walking down from Piazza Barberini toward Via del Tritone you reach the Trevi Fountain in 10 minutes. In the evening, after the show, it is less crowded than during the day.

Where to eat before and after La Sciantosa

The area between Piazza Barberini, Via Sistina and Piazza di Spagna has a wide choice of restaurants, trattorias and bars, with prices on average higher than in other neighborhoods.

Before 20:30

With a 20:30 start it's best to eat something light beforehand, or have dinner afterward. Around Piazza Barberini and toward Via del Tritone there are bars and places for a quick meal.

After the show

Heading down toward Trevi and the Pantheon the choice grows. If you want to spend less you can move toward Monti, a few metro stops away. I don't name places: they change hands too often. After an evening of Neapolitan song, though, a craving for pizza is almost inevitable: book ahead.

On Sunday

With the 16:00 performance you can have a relaxed lunch before and an early dinner after. In spring the center is crowded on Sundays: booking is wise.

Accessibility and practical information

For accessibility needs, wheelchair spaces and companion seats, contact the Teatro Sistina box office before buying.

Arriving on time

At Sistina latecomers are let in only at set moments: with a musical show, arriving late can mean missing the first numbers.

With kids

La Sciantosa is a musical show suited to a wide audience, and the theater gives no age limits. For boys and girls who know Serena Autieri as the voice of Elsa, seeing her live in a completely different repertoire is a surprise worth the ticket.

April in Rome

In late April Roman evenings are mild, but a light jacket for the 22:00 exit is wise. It is one of the best months to visit the city, with the theaters still in full season and long days.

Serena Autieri in Rome: the city's stages

Serena Autieri has a long relationship with Rome, made of theaters, concerts and big outdoor events, well before this La Sciantosa at Sistina. Retracing it helps you understand why the theater writes that the artist is finally coming to the city with this show.

Theaters and concert halls

Besides Sistina, where she appeared in 2003 with Vacanze romane and in 2009 with Shakespeare in jazz, in 2008 she gave a concert at Auditorium in Rome accompanied by pianist Marco Di Gennaro, with a repertoire of jazz standards. In April 2023 she performed at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma for the 171st anniversary of the Polizia di Stato.

Big outdoor venues

In October 2022 she sang a duet with Renato Zero on the stage at Circus Maximus, performing Umberto Bindi's Letti. In May 2024 she sang at the Colosseum Archaeological Park, accompanied by the band of the Italian Air Force, in the evening Melodie d'autore in una serata di maggio.

A voice of public service television

In recent years she has hosted Dedicato, Serenight and the Premio Le Maschere del Teatro Italiano in 2026 on Rai 1, and the program Serendipity on Rai Radio 2 in 2021. For the Rome audience she is not a guest arriving: she is a familiar face, with a Neapolitan repertoire tailored to her.

Who to see La Sciantosa with

La Sciantosa at Sistina is a show best enjoyed in company, because the repertoire invites you to sing along. A few practical pointers, from someone who organizes theater evenings for groups.

As a couple or with your parents

If your parents or grandparents grew up with Neapolitan song, Sunday afternoon at 16:00 is the perfect choice: a convenient time, out while it's still light, an early dinner. It is the easiest theater gift of the spring to get right.

In a group

For groups of friends, associations and companies, the Wednesday to Saturday evenings at 20:30 let you plan a pre-show aperitivo and a dinner after. If you want an evening organized from arrival to exit, with a guide and logistics, you can contact Tour Leader Pro.

Frequently asked questions about La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri

When is La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri on at Teatro Sistina?

La Sciantosa with Serena Autieri is on at Teatro Sistina in Rome from April 21, 2027, Wednesday to Saturday at 20:30 and Sunday at 16:00. The theater has not yet published the date of the last performance: the full calendar is on the show's official page.

How much are tickets for La Sciantosa at Sistina?

Tickets for La Sciantosa 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 prices published by the theater. Sistina says sales open soon.

Where do you buy tickets for La Sciantosa?

Tickets for La Sciantosa are sold on the official Teatro Sistina website, through the online box office linked from the show page, or at the theater box office at Via Sistina 129. It's best to avoid channels not authorized by the theater.

What is La Sciantosa about?

La Sciantosa tells the story of Elvira Donnarumma, whom Teatro Sistina presents as the first sciantosa, the anti-diva who invented the "mossa" of the cafés chantants. Serena Autieri, with her musicians, travels through the Neapolitan song of the Belle Époque, from 'A tazz' 'e café to Reginella, all the way to rare songs.

Who produces La Sciantosa at Sistina?

La Sciantosa at Teatro Sistina is presented by Engage. The show has a long history: Serena Autieri performed it directed by Gino Landi from 2013 to 2018, then as #LaSciantosa, la prima influencer, and in 2023 as a concert in Taranto.

How do you get to Teatro Sistina?

Teatro Sistina, where La Sciantosa is staged, is at Via Sistina 129 and is reached by Metro A, Barberini stop, walking up Via Sistina. Alternatively, get off at Spagna, climb the steps up to Trinità dei Monti and walk along the flat stretch of Via Sistina.

Has Serena Autieri already worked at Teatro Sistina?

Yes: Serena Autieri was at Teatro Sistina on February 17, 2003 for the preview of Vacanze romane with Massimo Ghini, directed by Pietro Garinei, and in 2009 with Shakespeare in jazz alongside Giorgio Albertazzi. Her name is among those that Sistina consecrated.

My final tip

People usually go to Sistina for the big musicals. For La Sciantosa you go for something else: a voice, a group of musicians and a repertoire that half the hall will sing under their breath. My advice is clear: buy as soon as sales open, take the first gallery on Sunday afternoon and, before leaving home, listen to an old recording of Reginella. When Serena Autieri starts singing it, you'll understand why Sistina talks about shivers.

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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