Angelo Carasale

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Angelo Carasale. Italian architect and the one primarily responsible for the elaborate furnishings of the new San Carlo opera house in Naples in 1737. Alexandre Dumas, père, in his The Bourbons of Naples (book 1, chapter 4) recounts the well-known tale (now regarded by most as apochryphal) that the king was so taken by the beauty of the theater that he personally presented Carasale to the public for applause, remarking that the only thing lacking from the new theater was a private passageway for royalty from the adjacent Royal Palace. The anecdote says that, a few hours later, upon completion of the opera (Achille in Sciro) by Domenico Sarro, Carasale approached the king and notified him that the passageway was ready.

Earlier, Carasale had been the architect given the task of redesigning San Carlo's predecessor, the small San Bartolomeo theater, so that it might be converted into a church. He also worked on the interiors of a number of Neapolitan churches. Apparently, Carasale was imprisoned in the fortress of Sant'Elmo on charges of having diverted funds meant for the San Carlo theater. Some sources says that he "died in disgrace."^{[citation needed]}