Journeys Viaggio

Italy has a wealth of beautiful, historic opera houses.  Should you be in Italy during ‘the season’, you might want to make reservations for a performance. The opera season is generally October through March or April.  Milan’s famous opera house, Teatro Alla Scala, ranks number one.  It reopened in December, 2004 after an extensive renovation. It has a bookshop, bar, and history museum as well. The original opera house, designed by neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, opened in 1778 and many famous operas were first performed here. La Scala was badly bombed during World War II but reopened in 1946 and quickly regained its reputation as a top Italian opera house. La Fenice (the Phoenix) in Venice, is also one of the most famous theaters in Europe. La Fenice first opened in 1792 but was twice badly damaged by fire. It has recently been renovated and reopened. La Fenice is in Venice’s San Marco Sestiere.  The Teatro San Carlo in Naples is the oldest opera house in Italy, founded in 1737. Some of the first ballet productions were also performed here during the opera intermissions. Opera, ballet, and short comic opera are still performed at Teatro San Carlo. Teatro Massimo in Palermo is the foremost opera house in Sicily as well as one of the finest in Europe. Its opening in 1897 signaled the beginning of Palermo’s belle epoque. Year-round performances include opera, ballet, and music. Bologna’s opera house is one of the top theaters in Italy and also one of the oldest. It is a stunning example of 18th century baroque architecture. Located in the heart of Bologna’s historic district, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna holds opera, musical, and symphony performances.  I recommend you visit theses beautiful theatres, even if your timing does not allow you to enjoy a performance.

For a more extensive list of famous theatres in Italy see: http://goitaly.about.com/od/performingarts/tp/opera_houses.htm?nl=1

The Verona Arena in Piazza Bra in the historic center of Verona is internationally famous for it’s large-scale opera performances.  It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind.  The Roman amphitheatre dates to AD 30 and could host 30,000 spectators to view staged games and shows in ancient times.

The round façade of the building was originally composed of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella, but after a major earthquake in 1117, which almost completely destroyed the structure’s outer ring, except for the so-called “ala”, the stone was quarried for re-use in other buildings. The first interventions to recover the arena’s function as a theatre began during the Renaissance.  Some operatic performances were later mounted in the building during the 1850s, owing to its outstanding acoustics. Nowadays, at least four productions (sometimes up to six) are mounted each year between June and August. In recent times, the arena has also hosted several concerts of international rock and pop bands

Milan takes one more fashion-forward step towards ultimate ‘chicdom’ as plans are announced to bring the iconic Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette to the Lombard capital.

For France’s Galeries Lafayette, this will only be its second non-domestic venture in Europe, despite its global success with 65 outlets in more than 100 years of business: 60 in France, plus stores in Berlin, Casablanca, Dubai, Jakarta and Beijing. While, for Westfield, the Milan mall will mark the group’s first opening in mainland Europe.

The new flagship store will be the largest in Europe, covering 18,000 square metres and four floors. Westfield Milan will be the new shopping centre’s name, situated at Segrate, not far from Milan Linate airport. More than 300 luxury and more ‘accessible’ labels will set up shop in the new mall, as well as cinemas, additional leisure activities and food outlets.

This recently opened cafe in the piazzi Pitti, just a few blocks from the Ponte Vecchio, serves some American favorites as well as traditional Tuscan and Emilia Romagnian cuisine.  Believe it or not, you can get bacon and eggs in the morning, bagels made daily in Naples (where the water is similar to New York’s), while sipping Arizona iced tea !

The JT Cafe is attracting locals as well as tourists who are drawn in by the welcoming atmosphere and excellent food.

For a full review of JT Cafe, click on the link below.

http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=9299&browse-by=Food-Wine&level=Restaurants-Reviews

Well over 5 1/2 Million visitors toured Rome’s Colosseum in 2013, making it the most visited monument, museum, and archaelogoical site in Italy.  On a recent visit to Rome, I was able to access the Third Tier of the Colosseum with a special  access pass, and I was fascinated by the perspective one got of the largest amphitheater ever built in ancient times.  The view of the Forum, the Arch of Constantine, and the entire historic center is equally remarkable from here. This upgraded ticket also allows you to  access to the Colosseum’s underground, a labyrinth of passageways and dungeons where fighters and animals would await their fate.

The second most visited site in Italy  was Pompeii with 2.46 million visitors.