Arena di Verona

So indeed going to see an opera at the Arena di Verona is one of the best things ever. I went to see Il Trovatore with Jacopo, his sister, and their partners, on Satruday night. We went in far too late, and ended up sitting on the second-to-back row. The stage was miles away, but the sound was still perfect. Fortunately, I remembered my binoculars - essential for long distance opera. The scenery and so on was by Franco Zeffirelli, a famous director of opera who did an excellent job. The way the stage was used and changed as the opera went on was great. At one point the castle tower in the centre of the stage was opened to reveal a gold chapel inside, which was so impressive some people started clapping, though the loggionisti quickly told them to shut up.

Il Trovatore is a lot of fun. The tenor, who plays Manrico (who is Il Trovatore) has an aria ("Di quella pira ") where he has to finish on a huge high C. This wasn't in Verdi's original score, but has been traditional for 150 years, and can make or break a performance. It happens in scene 2 of act 3, so you have the whole interval to look forward to it. Our Manrico, Marco Berti, managed it with some considerable aplomb, and the audience cheered and clapped until he consented to sing the aria all over again. If anything it was even better the second time. The opera continued in strong form with hundreds of gypsies, dancer, nuns, acrobatic soldiers, monks and real, live horses to add to the spectacle. It was superb - 3 and a half hours, sitting on a stony seat, seemed to pass in about 5 minutes.

As well as the performance itself, there is plenty more to add to the experience of going to the Arena. One thing is to think about the Romans sitting on the same actual seats to watch gladiators and lions. Another is to watch the rich and famous going to the expensive seats (€160 a go) in the centre of the Arena. Then you have the libretto and refreshment vendors calling out their wares in four different languages, with various degrees of proficiency. And right at the beginning, when the house lights go down, everyone in the high seats lights these little candles, which looks really magical.

So, the pictures: here.

Oh, and it didn't rain until we were one hour down the road to Milano, after the opera..