Overview

Opera was born in Italy. Celebrate your own passion by joining Discover my Italy’s first opera tour featuring performances at Italy’s greatest opera houses: La Scala and La Fenice in two of Italy’s greatest cities, Milan and Venice. This ultimate opera experience will be brilliantly enhanced by MICHAEL BOLTON, a leading opera expert and WRTI-FM radio personality. Michael fills his engaging talks with humor, pop-culture references, unique insights into the music, characters, and original views. You’ll be excited for the curtain to go up and the overture to start after Mike’s talks!

First we’ll enjoy three days absorbing the culture, food and music in Milan, where every corner seems to breathe opera, from the gorgeous “costumes” of the fashion district, to the “sets” of some of the most architecturally rich buildings in the world. Milan is where Verdi, deemed by many the greatest opera composer ever, began his brilliant career, and where he died. The crown jewel of the Milan portion of the trip is a performance of The Marriage Of Figaro, full of gorgeous music, fun and humanity, at La Scala, the most celebrated of Europe’s opera houses.

A private coach then takes us to charming Verona and the historic Arena di Verona. Built by the Romans in 30 AD, the amphitheater was the third largest of its time and has presented opera performances since the Renaissance. From Verona we’ll go to Venice, where the only thing more fantastic than “The Floating City” itself is the fantastic opera. Here we’ll enjoy Verdi’s I Due Foscari and La Traviata at La Fenice, Venice’s jewel-box of a theater. La Fenice (The Phoenix) has, literally, risen from ashes multiple times to present premieres by the likes of Rossini, Verdi and Puccini. While in Venice, enjoy an exclusive tour with one of Discover my Italy’s incredible guides, sharing the secrets of La Serenissima as we walk along the atmospheric streets and over canals. You will also have free time to just stroll the atmospheric streets and alleys over Venice’s myriad canals, take a gondola ride, shop for exquisite Murano glass, or steal a kiss under the Bridge of Sighs.