A Day at the Opera
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"I have never seen an opera live, which one should I see?"
I nagged my opera friends for several days with this question, as the difficult choice was among Aida, Turandot, Barber of Seville, Tosca and Carmen, the classic operas in the program for this summer's 87th Festival Areniano in Verona. Despite conflicting suggestions, at the end I chose Carmen, in part because of the lively presentation, and in part because I already knew several of the famous arias. Thanks to the flawless coordination of Paola Castagnini, head of Verona TuttIntorno press office, I experienced a very memorable adventure. Ten years ago, the Consorzio di Promozione Turistica Verona TuttIntorno (Consortium for Tourism Promotion Verona 'AllAround') started Anteprima Opera, (Opera Preview), which provides an important support to all those who approach this art world for the first time, as well as to opera lovers who desire to deepen their knowledge of the subject. The program proposes 50 appointments with the opera, paired with great wines and typical regional products.
The appointment is at 6:15 PM at Palazzo Verità Poeta, an outstanding 18th century palace featuring frescoed rooms and precious stuccos. Here, along with the other participants I am introduced to arias from the opera scheduled for the evening, executed by professional singers accompanied by piano music. Explanations and summaries of the various opera acts are alternated with the arias, to allow for a better understanding and enjoyment of the opera which we will attend in the evening. The organization includes a translator to assist the numerous foreign guests in English and German.
This pleasant, unusual direct contact with the artists lasted about one hour and ended with the tasting of a prestigious local wine introduced by its producer, who explained the production method applied and described its organoleptic characteristics. Musical moments paired with a gourmand experience, quality gastronomy and great classical music, a fascinating union which continued with a buffet of typical products and great local wines such as Soave, Amarone, and Valpolicella, among others, enjoyed while sitting comfortably in the splendid private garden of Villa Verità Poeta.
Afterwards I walk to the Arena where I joined a heterogeneous, multi-color and multi-ethnic crowd, dominated by a large majority of Germans, lined up neatly in front of the various entrances to the largest Italian open air theater to enjoy the spectacle of Carmen.
Alt 9:30, as the night took over the day, the magic started. The knowledgeable direction of maestro Franco Zeffirelli exalted the scene culminating in fantastic moments. The most well known arias, such as Habanera, the duet of Don Josè and Micaela, Toreador, drove me through an emotional crescendo to the tragic close,when Don Josè, madly in love and desperate because of the latest, definite refusal by his beloved, who by now is is enamored of bullfighter Escamillo, kills her in the Plaza de Toros of Seville.
What can I say…I am speechless, and deeply regret having discovered this wonderful, involving, fascinating, exalting form of entertainment only at 52 years of age. I am sure only of one thing: next year I will repeat the experience! I reserve right now for Aida and the other operas in the program. Watching the scene photographs which froze some lyric moments I can't decide what to see first, so I'll be bugging my dear friends who advised me so well for this 'first of mine' again.
Massimago
Photo Archive Massimago
Walking out of the Arena I notice with pleasure that I have something in common with my fellow audience members: the self assured humming of the main arias. With my thoughts still enveloped in music, I arrive at the agriturismo where I spend the night, a little corner of paradise with a funny name – Massimago – located in Mezzane di Sotto, a few kilometers outside Verona.
It's a villa built in the late 1700s which has been refurbished wonderfully for guests who enjoy spending relaxing moments in an elegant, quiet environment. The owner and manager is Camilla Rossi Chauvenet, a young entrepreneur with a degree in agriculture who grew up in Vicenza, but has her heart in this casale, which has been in the family since 1883. In addition to three wide, welcoming suites called La Vite (The Vine), Il Ciliegio (The Cherry Three), and L'Olivo (The Olive Three), each featuring a romantic fireplace, the estate also produces excellent Amarone refined for three years in barriques, and superb extra virgin olive oil which has intense fruity perfume and typical notes of almonds and tomato.
Massimago
Photo Archive Massimago
Restored by a good night's sleep and well-disposed toward the new day by a rich breakfast with delicious jams made by Camilla herself, I take off to discover the evocative surroundings of these valleys, hills, waterways, ancient hamlets, churches and castles, pampered once again by the perfect organization of the consortium Verona TuttIntorno.
In 2007 the consortium started the project entitled Tra Vino, Arte e Sapori (Between Wine, Art, and Flavor), which proposes summer excursions in the wonderful countryside surrounding Verona. During the half-a-day or full day trip, participants visit farms and estates, sampling and enjoying local products such as DOP and DOC cheeses and wines, or clothing and typical product outlets.
The four itineraries proposed during the 2009 summer season are:
- Outlet shopping tour
- History and flavors in the land of the Vialone Nano rice and art furniture
- History and red wines in the land of the great Valpolicella and Amarone
- Villages and castles between Verona and Padua
It is a fun, comfortable way to discover the wealth of history, art and architecture that graces the Verona area, as well its great wines and gastronomic products, which are the result of thousands of years of interaction between the men and women of this area and their land.
One of the fireplaces at Villa della Torre
Archive photo
After visiting two among the most beautiful churches around Verona, the antique Pieve di San Floriano and San Giorgio di Valpolicella, I complete the excursion with a visit to Allegrini, one of the most representative wine producers in the area. Recently the estate purchased the evocative, mysterious Villa della Torre (Villa with the Tower), with its gigantic, grotesque fireplaces. In addition to Allegrini's famous Amarone della Valpolicella Classico – which won several times the 3 Glasses award by Gambero Rosso – I have the opportunity to taste one of the top wines produced by the estate, the Ripasso 'Palazzo della Torre', which Wine Spectator listed among the 100 top wines in the world for five years in a row.
It is a splendid finish for a jaunt which, in less than two days, has made me discover different important aspects of an area which has fascinated me from the very first contact.
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