Operas and festivals are just two of the authentic artistic expressions of Italy’s culture. Known to be rich in history, Italy is also considered home to opera and festivals of world fame. Italy is the birthplace of opera, and numerous are the Italian composers renowned the world over: Paganini, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni, Monteverdi, Salieri, Tartini, Vivaldi, and so on. No less numerous are the international composers that have been inspired by some of their Italian counterparts' most famous pieces. In honor of this passion for opera, and its ability to unite people around the globe, every year Italy's best opera houses offer a season rich in a variety of performances. Music is in the air all over Italy during this summer, balmy nights and vibrant entertainment for all tastes. Here is a selection of the main music and opera events.
ARENA VERONA
The romantic city of Verona offers one of the biggest events in the Opera scene. The Verona opera festival is stages in the Arena di Verona, one of the most impressive and best preserved Roman amphitheaters. It is famous for its large-scale opera performances mounted each year between June and September. The International Opera Festival, now in its 96th edition presents a rich calendar of events. Performed Operas: Carmen, Aida, Turandot, Nabucco, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and recital by acclaimed ballet dance Roberto Bolle &Friends Arena di Verona welcomes once again artists and public in its magnificent setting.
PARMA
Every year, in October, the Verdi Festival celebrates the Maestro born in Roncole di Busseto, in the province of Parma, at the Regio Theatre of Parma and in Verdi's lands. The special charm of Parma’s Verdi Festival is that performances take place not just in the Teatro Regio, one of the loveliest theatres in Italy, but also at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto when singers from the Verdi Voci Competition get a chance to perform.
ROSSINI FESTIVAL
The Rossini Opera Festival is an international music festival held in Pesaro, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini in August. On stage this simmer: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Ricciardo e Zoraide, Adina, Il Viaggio a Reims, Petite Messe Solennelle. A wonderful opera festival celebrating the works of Italy's most popular composer in his home town of Pesaro on the Adriatic coast.
TORRE DEL LAGO PUCCINI
Torre del Lago hosts the Festival Puccini, created by Puccini himself, since 1930 in the small city where the exceptional composer lived over thirty years and composed most of his operas. The outdoor theatre, close to Villa Mausoleo where the Master’s remains lie, is an amazing setting to enjoy the music of one of the most outstanding and esteemed Italian artists worldwide. Operas on show are: Turandot, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, la Bohème, Il Trittico.
MAGGIO MUSICALE FIORENTINO FESTIVAL
Known to be the very first musical festival of the country, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is an annual arts festival in Florence. The Stabile Orchestrale Fiorentina was born in 1928 and in 1933 it organized the first edition of the Festival, which, over the years grew to international fame. The Festival has its own Ballet Company called Maggio Dance. Operas on stage include: Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Verdi’s La Traviata, Donizzetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore and then Carmen, La Rondine, La Sonnambula.