The Municipal Theater of Gallipoli was built in 1825 by the noble Bonaventura Balsamo at his own expense, he entitled it "Teatro del Giglio" in homage to the Bourbon family. Following the economic collapse of the Balsamo family, the theater was acquired in 1874 by the Municipality which entrusted the restoration project to the engineer Oronzo Bernardini of Lecce. The interior was completely renovated, paying particular attention to furnishings and decorations; the façades of the boxes were enriched with gilded stuccoes and the boxes completely upholstered in damask. In 1879 the theater was named after Giuseppe Garibaldi.