la boheme in arena di verona

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I’ve read that watching Aida in the arena in Verona is one of the must-do things in life. Look at the picture of the Arena! And imagine watching an opera in that! I didn’t want to imagine anymore so I made my way to Verona for this summer’s opera festival. Since I have already watched Aida in Singapore I thought I’d watch La Boheme instead.

Just sitting inside the Roman amphitheatre was an enjoyment itself. It was like being transported to another era…AD 30 to be exact. I watched the stone steps being filled up with people while the sun set slowly, casting a golden hue over the Arena. When the sky darkened, spectators lit candles….very pretty. Finally, the lights dimmed, the vast theatre fell into silence and the singers started going `aaaarrrhhhh’ and `ooooooorrrhhh’.

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Did I understand the lines? Of course not, it was in Italian! But did I enjoy the experience? Absolutely! Sitting in an ancient structure, nice breeze blowing over the open-air theatre, stars above, deep voices, emotional tunes, slow and deliberate moves on stage…it was a beautiful Italian experience.