A visit to Verona and the opera

I love those small Italian towns, with their narrow streets and alleyways, the coloured facades of the houses, the small boutiques hiding treasures : clothes made of pure linen and silk, smart, stylish and simple, bags of real leather in striking colours and modern and innovative designs, shoes which are always delightfully glamorous, even when they are low heeled. And last but not least the stationary shops with beautiful fountain pens, smooth and silky paper, notebooks handbound in printed or perfectly shiny leather, in all the colours of the rainbow. And of course, the markets with an abundance of fresh produce, ripe tomatoes in a variety of shades, from bright yellow to dark purple, fruit which is alluring and succulent, dark shiny cherries, bright red strawberries heaped up in straw baskets, cheeses, and smoked and cured hams, a feast for the senses.

This time I did not visit Verona for Romeo and Juliet, nor for shopping, but for the opera. And as a bonus, to see many splendid historic churches, each a joyful surprise, with amazing frescoes, famous paintings, and other treasures in gold, bronze, and rose-tinted marble. Some churches are built on older ones, now serving as an open crypt for the more recent church or basilica on top of it. Verona is a treasure trove of Italian history, art, and music. Large parts of the city walls are still intact, as well as a number of gates and arches. The fast-flowing river Adige, which is much wider and wilder than I expected, embraces the historic centre with one of its sharp bends.

The following 8  photos are of the Basilica di Santa  Anastasia

What I came for, was the opera in that other historic building, the roman Arena, dominating the wide and leafy Piazza Bra. On road trips through Italy, some decades ago, my late husband and I, had stopped in Verona. But that was not during the opera festival, which only takes place in the summer months, as the event is al fresco, performers and the orchestra exposed to the elements, as well as the audience. At that time, we did see the house of Juliet, or rather a house which might have been similar to the house she was supposed to have lived in, now a tourist trap, a Disneyfied version of Shakespeare’s story. I tried to avoid it this time.

The cathedral, Il Duomo

Verona was suffering from a heat wave, temperatures soaring into the high thirties, 38 degrees, and still 30 at midnight.  I wasn’t quite prepared for this, and it made me rather ill. But I recovered in time for the opera, the event I had come for and there was no way I was going to miss it.

Cathedral, interior: old and new

 Details of he main entrance to the cathedral

The Arena is enormous, and I had not realized the scale of the preparations. Regular visitors will be familiar with it, but for me seeing all the props in front of the Arena within an enclosure on the Piazza Bra, being hoisted inside by a crane over the walls, was quite amazing.  And that was only the prelude. The best part, the opera, was still to come. It was quite thrilling to see all the props which had looked huge but rather fake, inside the Arena in the evening, forming a magical backdrop. And seeing weapons of war and enormous suits of armour outside the Arena, a new collection of props, waiting for the next opera, Il Trovatore.

The opera I was going to see, Aida, started at 9 o’clock in the evening. Swifts were flying and stunting high in the air, uttering shrill and happy noises, seemingly around two tiny clouds orange in the last rays of the sun. It was still very hot, and most women were dressed in topless skimpy dresses, with high heeled sandals, using decorated hand held fans trying to cool themselves. I was lucky to be high up in the arena, as there we could very occasionally get a slight puff of air. Lower down the heat was terrible as there was no wind whatsoever to give a bit of relief. Several people became unwell and had to be carried out by paramedics during the performance.

The props for Aida the day after the performance

The acoustics are excellent everywhere. Apparently, the Romans knew how to build a theatre. Being high up to the left of the stage, I could not see the symmetry of the stage setting, but that did not make the opera any less captivating. The music, the décor, the ballet, the props, the singing, it was all of the highest standard and spectacular. The texts were displayed on a screen in Italian and English, so it was easy to follow the libretto. During short intervals, when the stage settings were changed, servers went around with water, cooled drinks and ice cream. As far as music is concerned, opera is not my favourite genre, but I was enthralled by this performance. The setting in this historic and romantic monument, the soldiers with torches in rows high up behind the stage, and the hot summer night had a lot to do with it, not to mention the first-class musicians, singers and dancers; a fairy tale come true and an experience I will never forget.

I do not know how the singers and actors could cope with the heat, being dressed in heavy and elaborate costumes, for even the audience, in minimal summery outfits, were drenched. And we did not have to move or sing!

It was past midnight when the arena emptied. Walking back, I came across a beautiful young and slim musician, member of the orchestra, in a long flowing strapless evening dress, crowned by a white safety helmet, mounting the motorbike of a friend. I wish I had taken a picture, but did not want to intrude on her privacy.