The cultural highlight for Corfu’s Old Town Hall came in 1720 when the Loggia di Nobili was converted into a theatre, following the trend of Venice, which was the centre of opera in Europe. It became the “Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo» - named after the Catholic Cathedral next door, dedicated to St Jacob – or St James. It was the first theatre in Corfu – and then Greece, once Corfu was united with the rest of the country – and was the first theatre in the Eastern Mediterranean to stage operas. The curtain was a masterpiece, crafted by Giovanni Buzatto (the advisor of the Venice Academy of Fine Arts) and adorned with representations from Homer’s Odyssey.