Verona Opera Festival

For escapist entertainment on a truly grand scale, Verona Opera Festival is well-nigh perfect. First, it’s in Italy, where full-force maestro/diva entertainment originated in the 19th century. Second, it takes place in a phenomenal Roman amphitheatre, in front of thousands of spectators. Third, and best, it’s fantastic fun. Verona offers spectacle, star quality, and opera as it should be – big and beautiful. Since the festival began in 1913, Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and hundreds more have performed on the 2,000-year-old Arena di Verona, a stage that has seen gladiatorial combat and mediaeval games in its time, and which has an amazing acoustic that allows every top note to be heard in even the highest seats. Get tickets for a Verdi blockbuster – Nabucco or Aida – and you’ll be transported back to your night at the opera every time you hum one of those unforgettable arias.

Highlights

Pick up a candle on your way to your seat, and join in the tradition of lighting it before the opera begins – a communal celebration of the setting, which becomes a flickering galaxy of light.

In The Know

Head Count

Some 15,000 opera-lovers turn up nightly during the festival.

Meeting Point

The Piazza Bra, or main square of Verona. From there you can head to Via Mazzini for shopping, or turn up Via Cappello to see the famous Casa di Giulietta, ‘Juliet’s house’, a mesmerising draw for tourists.

Best View

Seats 1-32 in Fila 1, the first row, are literally spitting distance from the singers. When booking, ask for the Poltronissime Gold seats.

Packing Tips

The teeming audience is a real hotchpotch, with spectators tending to dress according to the price of their seat, so decide on Diesel or Dolce accordingly. If you go for the cheap seats, you’ll want a cushion (the Roman stone can be quite unforgiving after a few hours), but it’s possible to rent one inside the arena. A little torch is handy, too, for reading the programme and saving your eyes (and preventing your eyebrows getting singed by candle flames).

Escape

Nearby Lake Garda is a painterly place to spend an afternoon. Otherwise, you’ll find peace in Verona’s church of Sant’Anastasia with its Pisanello frescos and mediaeval tombs, or the fifth-century Basilica di San Zeno Maggior.

Dos and don'ts

• Read up on the opera before you attend, otherwise, even if you’re fluent in Italian, you might not have a clue who is betraying whom.
• Arrive early if you’re in the cheap seats: they’re unnumbered, so it’s first come, first served.
• Visit the Anteprima Opera (opera preview). The afternoon events take place in the historic Hotel Due Torri Baglioni, and offer opera innocents some background on the story (+39 045 800 9461; www.anteprimaopera.it).
• Make sure you eat well. An opera is twice as long as the average film. There are snacks, but it’s best to plan wisely and book restaurants well in advance.
• Don’t expect to hail a taxi – the done thing here is to find a rank.

Need To Know

Children

Kids under the age of four aren’t allowed into the arena.

Parking

Most of the city centre is car-free, and parking is limited. There is a large secure car park next to the arena, with rates from €12, but it can be difficult to get a spot.

Disability Access

There are reduced rates for disabled spectators, as well as a reserved area for wheelchairs. Be sure to mention disability when booking tickets.

Food & Drink

Inside the amphitheatre, food and beverage availability is governed by its own class system. The cushioned splendour of the Poltronissime Gold section is aswill with vintage champagne, while arena seats have vendors selling pizza, ice cream and panini, as well as wine and pop. Locals often bring picnics. Most opera-goers stave off hunger until after the performance, when they descend on local trattorie for late-night feasts. Beware of overpriced tourist traps near the opera house, though. Instead, try Bottega del Vino, on Via Scudo di Francia (+39 045 800 4535; www.bottegavini.it), which offers three courses for about 30, or sample the handmade bigoli pasta at Trattoria Tre Marchetti da Barca, on Vicolo Tre Marchetti (+39 045 803 0463).

Sleep

You must book early as Verona is small. Lake Garda is 40 minutes away by car and a popular spot to stay. Villa Feltrinelli (+39 036 579 8000; www.villafeltrinelli.com) is a beautiful neo-gothic villa built in 1892 and was a wartime hideout for Mussolini. Within Verona itself, hotels tend to be traditional in style. The elegant Due Torri Hotel Baglioni (+39 045 595 044; www.duetorrihotelbaglioni.com) is the sister of London’s Baglioni hotel and counts Beethoven and Goethe among its past guests.

VIP

K&N Travel can organise specific tickets to individual events and can also sort out accommodation, reservations and tours (020 7223 7986; www.knassoc.com). Other tour and ticket providers include Liaisons Abroad (020 7808 7330; www.liaisonsabroad.com), Mission Impossible (020 7486 1666; www.mitickets.com), and Opera Tickets Online (www. operaticketsonline.co.uk).