All opera lovers know Verona and the Festival that takes place inside the Arena, the Roman Amphitheatre. This year marks the centenary of the Opera Festival.
It all began on August 10th, 1913, when the Veronese tenor Zenatello and the manager Ottone Rovato were able to organise the first performance of “Aida” to commemorate the birth of the music composer Giuseppe Verdi one century earlier.
From that day, almost every summer – apart from 2 short breaks during the world wars – the Roman amphitheatre turns into the largest open-air opera theatre in the world, with over 30,000 seats and a team of 1,200 singers, orchestra musicians, dancers, scenographers, technicians, extras, dressmakers, make-up artists, etc…
Walking along the streets of Verona you can bump into the huge props used on the stage and this year you can also visit two exhibitions:
- a selection of historical posters and playbills of the Opera Festival coming from Salce Collection in Treviso (location: Archeological Museum in Stradone San Tomaso 3)
- the collection of photos of opera singer Maria Callas, “the Divine”, from Tommasoli Archives (location: Gran Guardia Palace in Piazza Bra).
The programme of the 2023 Festival “100 times the first time” features 49 performances in less than 3 months, from June 16th to September 8th. Tickets are on sale on the Arena of Verona Foundation official webisite https://www.arena.it/en, but we can purchase tickes and deliver them directly at the check-in upon request.
