Explore the acoustics of Teatro dell'Opera of Rome

The Opera House, as one of the typical representative buildings of Europe, has an outstanding cultural heritage value. In addition to the conservation, restoration, and preservation programs, including the establishment of databases for the main body of the building, the acoustics, as a more fragile intangible cultural heritage, should also attract the attention of scientists and scholars. The paper follows the requirements of the standard set out in ISO 3382-1. It consists of investigating and collecting the traditional acoustic parameters of the Teatro dell'Opera of Rome. A more innovative approach is then applied: using multi-channel spherical array microphones and creating superimposed videos showing real-time impulse response (IR) to visualize the interactions between the sound waves and the architectural elements at the room boundaries. The study results show that Teatro Rome still has excellent acoustics over time, compared to contemporary opera houses.