The history of the “Flamingo” begins in the 1950s, when the owners of the building decide to open the first cinema in the center of the town. Success was assured and for many years the cinema was an established reality.
At the end of the 1960s, television invades the homes of Elbans. For cinema, this means an inevitable closure for the cinema. A part of it was destined to house a commercial activity until in 1974 Gualberto Gennai, who had emigrated from Capoliveri to Australia some time before, decided to return to his origins and open a restaurant in the historic center of the town, where the cinema previously existed. Thus the “Bar Ristorante Pizzeria Flamingo” was born, so called for the distinctive colors of the place at the time, very similar to those of the flamingo.
At the end of the 70s, Gennai decides to return to Australia with his family and the Flamingo closes its doors. The property remains unused for many years, while Capoliveri remembers the good old days of cinema, dance parties and the good times spent at the “Flamingo”.
Starting from the second half of the 1990s, a campaign was undertaken to give back to the town a place for events, socialization and culture. For this reason, the Municipality acquired the site of the former cinema, considering it the right place to be recovered for this purpose.
Finally, in the first months of 2014, the renovation works on the building were completed. The municipal administration decided to call the theater “Flamingo” and to dedicate it to the Elbans in the world, to all the citizens of Elba and Capoliveri who have left the island to live elsewhere, but who have never forgotten their homeland.
Since then, the Flamingo Theater has hosted shows, concerts, cultural meetings, while also wearing its ancient guise: that of a cinema.
