A small wooden theatre
The Marquise Alli-Maccarani obtained from Charles Emmanuel III, King of Sardinia — under whose jurisdiction the County of Nice then fell — permission to convert her former family home into a theatre. Thus, the small Teatro Maccarani, named after its owners, was built in the 18th century on the site of the present-day Opéra.
Fitted out in 1776 and built entirely of wood, its north façade opened onto the city while its south façade faced the ramparts of the Quai du Midi, today known as the Quai des États-Unis.