Segesta - Theater

From the temple parking lot there is a road suitable for cars leading up to the Theater as well as a footpath (30minutes' walk). They lead gently upwards along the western slope of Monte Bárbaro between the minimal and unexcavated remains of the ancient town. The Theater, 415m/1,362ft up, lies in a natural hollow on the hillside. It was laid out in the third or second centuries B.C. and rebuilt by the Romans c. 100 B.C., who mainly made changes to the stage. The semi-circular cavea is cut out of the rock; it has 20 rows of seats in seven wedges separated by steps; its diameter is 63m/207ft. Of the Roman stage only the foundations have survived. As a result visitors today, unlike those of old, can enjoy a magnificent view (albeit spoiled to some extent by the ugly motorway which cuts across the landscape) as far as Monte Erica and Castellammare del Golfo, once the port of Segesta.