ATHENS, Greece — The Greek National Opera opened this season’s festival with Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot as Athens’ ancient theater hosts its final festival season before it shuts down for at least three years for restoration and maintenance.

The Odeon of Herod Atticus, a must-see at the foot of the Acropolis, recently opened the 70th season of the annual Athens Epidaurus Festival, a cherished annual tradition for many Greeks.

The closure of the theater, which is more than 18 centuries old, will be a profound loss for spectators who have long enjoyed first-class performances under the stars in one of the world’s most iconic open-air theaters.

Tourists watch the ushers as they prepare the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)