Cherry Coast Adventures: Verona Opera

Until last week, we hadn't ventured to Verona yet, even though it's less than an hour away. Now, I can't wait to go back! Tony's leave expired on a Wednesday night, but he planned it so well he only had to work on Thursday before a four-day weekend. Cha-ching! I really wanted to visit the Verona Arena and see an opera, and had a hard time deciding between Carmen and Aida. Ultimately I bought tickets to Carmen for Thursday night, because I figured it would be a great show for a newby, with its gypsies and familiar music. It's not playing at next year's Opera Festival, but Aida is. Hedging my bets in case I don't get another chance to go this year, Carmen was the winner. I think Aida is staged nearly every year at the Arena, a tradition since the Opera Festival began in 1913.

The Arena is one of the best preserved Roman ampitheaters, and now that I've seen it first-hand I think it is simply astounding. It seats up to 25,000 people (though we were packed in so tightly I'd believe it could hold half again as many, honestly) and I don' t believe there's a bad seat in the house. Apparently it was built of limestone in AD 30, though much of it has been rebuilt after earthquakes and it's slightly smaller than it used to be. Of course for operas, one end is used as the stage and the seats behind that area are blocked off, but even still, we shared the experience with many thousands of people. The staging was fairly simple, as there aren't any true backstage areas, but that didn't stop the production from being magnificent. I'm pretty sure there were 200 performers - plus dozens of live animals -on stage during many parts of the show, and it was never distracting. And I couldn't believe the acoustics! Just, wow.

Anyway, the show started at 8:45, since sunset was close to 9pm. We left home about 7:15 or 7:30 and made it to the parking garage with plenty of time to spare, even after a couple of wrong turns. Let me tell you, that garage is nerve-wracking though. The Honda Accord felt gigantic going around the corkscrew turns, but we found a spot and fit in it just fine. It was a short walk to the Arena from there, and we passed many of the set pieces for Aida, as well as singers getting ready and all of the horses and donkeys that were in the show. Some of the old entrance tunnels were made over as green rooms and prop storage areas, and it was neat to see those spaces as we walked past.

Getting into the Arena was kind of a chore. We found our numbered gate and entered the throng of people slowly making way upstairs. It was hot, crowded, smelly, and full of rude tourists. When we made it to the seating area, our "designated" area was full so we had to go over a section or two. Next time, we will definitely splurge for numbered seats. We ended up sitting on the stone benches with people crammed against our knees and backs. I had every intention of bringing pillows and blankets, but somehow left home without those AND without my binoculars, though fortunately I remembered water. Did I mention it was hot? Probably about 80 degrees, plus we were packed in tightly with everyone else. Many people brought snacks and wine, so I'm going to remember that for next time.Once the sun set, we got a little bit of a breeze, but it was still very uncomfortable. I had to shift my weight every few minutes to keep my butt from going to sleep on the stone, and I desperately wanted to kick the German asshole sitting in front of me who wanted to use my knees as a backrest. Still, it was worth it. They took an intermission after every act that was at least 20 minutes long, so it was a very long show. We didn't stay until the end because our backs were hurting, but kudos to all the people who did! I'm sure I will get a chance to go back one day. Verona seemed to be a beautiful and interesting city, and I would definitely like to spend some more time there in the near future, even if it's not for an opera.