If you consider how greatly varied the public attending the lyrical productions is today, the results are most encouraging. From the most passionate lovers of lyrical music to the tourist who descends upon the opera out of curiosity: the Arena creates the meeting point for these two extremities, as it is capable of combining the quality of the music and of the vocal interpretation with the magnificence of the scenography and the magic historical context of the monument. In the summer of 1913, to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, the tenor Giovanni Zenatello and the theatre impresario Ottone Rovato took on the financial risk of promoting a magnificent lyrical festival. With the staging of Aida, the Arena di Verona became the biggest open-air lyrical theatre in the world, a supremacy that it still holds today. Today people who visit the Arena, attracted by its antiquity and its impressiveness, cannot help but imagine the amphitheatre full of spectators impatiently awaiting to be enchanted by music in front of a stage ornate with magnificent scenery. By now, the opera in the Arena is an occasion not be missed for those visiting Verona, which has been the most important city in the world for lyrical performances dating back to the year 1913, when the festival that takes place every year began. The festival in the Arena is a fascinating tradition because it is made up of eighty opera seasons, ballets and concerts which were performed one after the other on the enormous stage which offers great performances by prestigious artists. Some of these artists arrived in Verona when they were not very well known and left the city ready to engage in a successful career, thanks to the Verona amphitheatre. Delightful and also unpredictable: this is what to expect from the Arena. In the stalls and in the box of honor, people of authority and celebrities parade in evening wear, to the delight of the curious onlookers who have already been waiting for some time on the steps. For these spectators going to the Arena means long queues in front of the gates and arriving equipped with everything needed for an excursion: rucksacks, raincoats, food and, last but not least, the libretto and 'mocoleto' (the candle to create a beautiful atmosphere once night has fallen). They are also ready to challenge the bad weather, just as long as they can attend the performance. This is also part of the game, but each evening the public enters into the Arena anxious and curious but trusting. One leaves entranced, fascinated and enthusiastic: a truly unforgettable evening. Contact Us or add your CLASSICAL MUSIC TOUR, on the booking form.