Verdi and opera itinerary

Opera was born in Italy, and Giuseppe Verdi is its most loved composer. His choruses, from Va, pensiero to the drinking song of La traviata, became songs of the Risorgimento and are still known by heart all over the world. Following Verdi means travelling through the flat lands of the Po valley where he was born and lived, and the great theatres of the north where his operas premiered: La Scala in Milan, La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Regio in Parma and the Arena in Verona.

This seven-day itinerary starts in Milan and ends in Venice, passing through Verdi's homeland around Busseto, Parma and Verona. If you can, time it so you see at least one opera: the Arena's summer festival, from June to early September, and the Festival Verdi in Parma and Busseto, in October, are the best occasions. See also our pages on Emilia-Romagna and the Veneto.

1. Milan: La Scala
2. Le Roncole: Verdi's birthplace
3. Busseto: Teatro Verdi and Casa Barezzi
4. Sant'Agata: Villa Verdi
5. Parma: the Teatro Regio
6. Verona: the Arena
7. Venice: La Fenice

Verdi in brief

Verdi was born in 1813 at Le Roncole, a hamlet near Busseto, the son of innkeepers. A local merchant and music lover, Antonio Barezzi, paid for his studies and became his father-in-law. Rejected by the Milan Conservatory, which now bears his name, he studied privately and in 1842 triumphed at La Scala with Nabucco. Then came Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, Aida, Otello and Falstaff. He became rich and famous, bought a farm estate at Sant'Agata, was a senator of the Kingdom of Italy and founded a rest home for elderly musicians in Milan, where he is buried. He died in Milan in 1901.

1. 1778La Scala opens in Milan
2. 1813Verdi is born at Le Roncole
3. 1842Nabucco triumphs at La Scala
4. 1851Rigoletto premieres at La Fenice
5. 1853La traviata premieres at La Fenice
6. 1901Verdi dies in Milan
7. 1913The Arena di Verona opera festival begins with Aida
8. 2003La Fenice reopens after the 1996 fire

Day 1: Milan and La Scala

In Milan start at the Teatro alla Scala, opened in 1778, and its museum, which lets you look into the auditorium from a box when there are no rehearsals: see Teatro alla Scala. Then cross the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to the Duomo. On Via Manzoni, the Grand Hotel et de Milan is where Verdi lived in winter and where he died: in the days of his illness the city covered the street with straw to muffle the noise of carriages. In the evening, if the season allows, go to an opera at La Scala.

Where to stay: in Milan, for two nights.

Day 2: Verdi's Milan

Visit the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, the rest home for elderly musicians that Verdi founded and that still welcomes retired musicians: in its crypt lie Verdi and his second wife, the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. In the afternoon see Leonardo's Last Supper (book well ahead) and finish on the Navigli.

Day 3: Le Roncole, Busseto and Sant'Agata

Take the train to Fidenza (about an hour) and pick up a hire car, or drive straight from Milan (about an hour and a half). At Le Roncole visit Verdi's birthplace, the simple house where his parents ran an inn and shop, and the church where he played the organ as a boy. At Busseto see the Teatro Verdi, an elegant small theatre opened in 1868, Casa Barezzi, the house of his patron, now a museum, and the monument to the composer: see Busseto and Verdi. A few kilometres away, at Villanova sull'Arda, stands Villa Verdi at Sant'Agata, the estate where he composed his later works; check before you go, as it has been closed to visitors for some time amid disputes over its future. For lunch try culatello, the prized cured ham of the area around Zibello.

Where to stay: in Busseto or Parma.

Day 4: Parma

Parma is a capital of opera and food. The Teatro Regio, opened in 1829, has one of the most demanding audiences in the world: the loggionisti, the gallery fans, are famous for booing singers who miss a note. In the Pilotta palace, the wooden Teatro Farnese, built in the early 17th century, is one of the most spectacular theatres of the Baroque. Also visit the cathedral and the baptistery, and the Casa del Suono, a museum of sound technology. In the afternoon visit a dairy to see how Parmigiano Reggiano is made.

Day 5: Verona and the Arena

Return the car and take the train to Verona (about an hour and a half via Bologna or Brescia). The Arena, a Roman amphitheatre of the 1st century, holds an opera festival every summer since 1913, when it opened with Aida to celebrate the centenary of Verdi's birth. Before the show walk through Piazza delle Erbe and visit "Juliet's house". In the evening, cushion in hand, climb the stone tiers: when the sun sets, the audience lights small candles, and the opera begins under the stars.

Where to stay: in Verona.

Day 6: Venice and La Fenice

Take the train to Venice (about an hour and a quarter). The Teatro La Fenice, "the phoenix", has risen from its ashes several times: it burned in 1836 and again in 1996, and reopened in 2003. Here Rigoletto and La traviata premiered; the latter was a fiasco on its first night. Visit the theatre with an audio guide during the day, or better still attend a performance in the evening.

Where to stay: in Venice, for two nights.

Day 7: Venice of music

In the morning go to the Museo della Musica in the church of San Maurizio, with its collection of old instruments, and visit the Ospedale della Pietà, where Vivaldi taught music to the orphan girls of the institute. In the afternoon go to a concert of Baroque music in a church or palace, or take the vaporetto along the Grand Canal before leaving.

How much it costs

Accommodation495 €

Meals275 €

Opera and museums200 €

Transport150 €

Arena unreserved tiers35 €

La Scala museum12 €

La Fenice audio-guided visit12 €

Teatro Farnese and Pilotta10 €

Verdi's birthplace6 €

To save money: at the Arena the stone tiers cost much less than numbered seats, and many theatres sell discounted tickets to under-30s or at the last minute. See travelling Italy on a budget.

Practical information

• Tickets: for La Scala and La Fenice buy as early as possible on the official websites; avoid unofficial resellers.
• Dress: there is no strict dress code, but at La Scala and La Fenice people dress up for evening performances; in the Arena dress comfortably and bring a jacket.
• Arena: shows end after midnight; book a hotel within walking distance. Small cushions and drinks are sold on site.
• Seasons: La Scala opens on 7 December, the feast of Milan's patron saint, and its opening night is one of the great events of the Italian year.

Variations

• Puccini: Lucca, his birthplace, and his villa on the lake at Torre del Lago, with the summer Puccini festival; see Puccini in Lucca and Torre del Lago.
• Cremona: the city of Monteverdi and the great violin makers, with the Violin Museum; see Cremona.
• Pesaro: the birthplace of Rossini and the Rossini Opera Festival in August.

What to read before you go

A biography of Verdi, a guide to his operas and the librettos of the operas you plan to see: knowing the story makes the evening much more enjoyable. See also Italy's food.

Final tips

• Pace: on the evenings of an opera, don't plan a full day; a show lasts three or four hours.
• Combinations: from Verona you can link up with the Dante itinerary, and from Venice with the Grand Tour itinerary.
• A tip: at the Arena, when the chorus of Nabucco starts, look around: thousands of people will be singing Va, pensiero along with the stage.