Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NIGHTLIFE
If you're lucky, you may just be able to catch a performance of
Romeo and Juliet
at the intimate outdoor
Teatro Romano,
where a
Shakespeare Festival
55
is
held annually from June through early September. I saw a thoroughly entertain-
ing Italian version of the tragic romance in 2005, with such visually dynamic
Rock Opera
555
When
opera season
rolls around, the unassuming town of Verona
raises its head and prepares for an influx of cultured nobility; suitably
attired and ready to be escorted to their
€
150 seats, this refined set—who
turn up to give standing ovations to some of the finest voices on earth—
make one forget that the Arena was initially intended for Roman specta-
cles of violence and bloodshed that wowed up to 30,000 people per sitting.
The season runs from mid-June until the end of August, the highlight
usually being performances of Verdi's
Aida.
The version of this staged dur-
ing the 83rd season, in 2005, featured mind-boggling scenery and staging
by Franco Zeffirelli (who is known for directing a big-screen, men-in-tights
version of
Romeo and Juliet
back in 1968), with colossal gold pyramids
and sphinxes filling the stage; even those of us sitting far away could
appreciate the spectacle.
Aida
is probably the one show you must consider
booking for in advance; tour leaders practically insist that their groups
attend this show, and the midrange reserved seats are often sold out (par-
ticularly on weekends). Bear in mind that while the rock-bottom tickets
being sold for
€
10 to
€
17 may sound like a bargain, there will be some
obstruction of your view because you'll be watching the show from the
side of the stage.
You can purchase tickets for the opera at the box office beneath the
Arena itself (Via Dietro Anfiteatro, 6/B); credit cards are accepted,
although the phone line is frequently down, so it's a good idea to take
cash just in case. You can also phone in your booking (
%
045-8005151)
or use the Web, www.arena.it, where you can also get program details.
Note:
If you're attending a performance of the opera season, bring a
cushion, or rent one on your way into the Arena. If you fail to heed this
warning, you'll be using your backside to polish some of the same hard
rock as Roman spectators did nearly 2,000 years ago, and you'll regret it
deeply. Binoculars are handy too!
The
Associazione Culturale Orpheus
(Chiostro S. Luca, Corso Porta
Nuova, 12; www.operainconcerto.it;
€
15)
isn't exactly competing with the
opera at the Arena, but it offers alternative concert performances on a
much smaller scale between late June and early September. Orpheus pres-
ents a very mixed bag of concerts, usually boasting one or two of the
minor “stars” from the main Arena program as guest soloists.