The Carlo Goldoni Theatre is the oldest theatre in Venice still in existence today and is the fourth oldest in absolute terms in the city, after the Michiel Theatre, the Tron Theatre (1581), and the San Moisè Theatre (1613). It was built by the Vendramin family in 1622, from whom it took its name. The theatre, also known as San Salvador and San Luca, was inaugurated in the autumn of that year with a performance by the “Gli Accesi” company, who were paid for their comedies immediately, even before they were read. The confidence in Goldoni's ability to compose successful and sure-to-be-popular works was almost unlimited. Precisely for this reason, his income had almost doubled, and of particular importance was the fact that he was free to print his works wherever he wished or with whichever publisher he preferred.
