On my visit to Verona in August 2006 I saw three open-air opera performances in the Arena: Verdi’s Aida, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. What they had in common was that all three productions were by the same stage director, Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019), who also designed the stage sets Read More …
The stage for Zeffirelli’s production of Verdi’s Aida in the Arena of Verona is dominated by two large statues of ancient Egyptian pharaohs (rulers), which between performances are stored out in front of the Arena on the Piazza Bra. Here are some more of the stage elements for Aida in Read More …
In this daytime photo you can see the various seating categories in the Arena of Verona. The most expensive seats look white in the photo because they are protected during the day by heavy white plastic covers. These are the “Poltronissime” seats or first sector stalls, now subdivided into “Poltronissime GOLD” Read More …
If you are sitting on the steps (reserved or unreserved) for an opera performance in the Arena di Verona, don’t forget to pick up a candle from the large unmarked box in the middle of the gate where you go in. These are small candles like the ones used on Read More …
There were three intermissions during the Aida performance, two during Carmen and one during Madama Butterfly. Before each intermission (‘interval’ to you) there is a ritual in which the singers take their bows from the center of the stage, then all walk over to the right side and bow again, Read More …
Okay, so Juliet might have been a fictional character, but that didn’t stop her from having a house and a balcony. Supposedly this house really did belong to a 14th century Veronese family which just might have been one of the families Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote his Read More …
In addition to the Arena, the ancient Romans had a smaller theater on the other side of the Adige River in Verona, with stone steps built into a hillside. This theater was excavated and reconstructed in the nineteenth century and is used today for spoken drama — especially Shakespeare in Read More …
Above the Teatro Romano is the Castello San Pietro (Castle of Saint Peter), which is a good place to go for views out over the city of Verona. I suppose it would be possible to cycle up to the castle in some way, especially if you like mountain biking or Read More …
On Mondays the Arena di Verona stays dark to give all the people who work there a day off. So on the Monday evening when I was there I went to a chamber music concert in the courtyard of the church of San Luca (Chiostro di San Luca Evangelista) on Read More …
Castelvecchio, the Old Castle, was built by the Scala family during the 14th century when they were the rulers of Verona. It became their residence and fortress during the rule of Cangrande II in 1354. Cangrande, appropriately enough, translates as “top dog”. Like most buildings that are now called the Read More …