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Day
1
Arrival
in Verona and transfer to hotel. Evening transfer to the Arena di Verona
for a performance of AIDA.
Day
2.
Day
at leisure. Evening performance of TURANDOT
Day
3.
Morning
excursion to the beautiful lakeside town of Sirmione, rest of the day at
leisure. Evening transfer to Arena di Verona for performance of CARMEN.
Day
4.
Full
day excursion to Venezia. Guided
tour of the city and visit to Ca� Vendramin Carergi, the Villa on
the Grand Canal that hosted Wagner
between 1882 and his death in 1883.
Day
5. Excursion
along the Valpolicella �wine route� with wine tasting and lunch.
Day
6.
Day
at leisure. Evening transfer to Arena di Verona for performance of NABUCCO.
Day
7
Travel
south through �Verdi� country. Stop at Busseto to visit
Verdi�s house and then visit his villa at St. Agata. Continue
south over the Apennines towards Torre del Lago.
Day
8. Morning
excursion to Lucca. Visit the
apartment where Puccini was borne (now a small museum)
and the church
where he was
a teenage
organist (and from which he altered the harmony
of the hymns so as not to discover that he had stolen some of the organ
pipes and sold them in order to buy some cigars!)
Evening
transfer to Torre del Lago Puccini, the lazy village between sea and lake
that Puccini loved so much and chose as his home from �Manon Lescaut�
onwards. Life here is much the same as it was in Puccini�s live time.
The main change being the �Piazza� constructed in front of his villa
and the new area on which the open air theatre is constructed.
Most of the inhabitants of Torre are also direct descendants,
mostly sons and some grandsons/daughters of friends and hunting partners
of the great composer. One of the restaurants there (there are four) is
still owned by the Manfredi family who originally purchased the place with
the money received from Puccini in exchange for their retraction of
accusal against his wife, Elvira, who was accused of instigation for
suicide of Dora Manfredi, Pucinni's maid (Elvira had accused her of
having an affair with Puccini, she poisoned herself and the autopsy proved
she was innocent). Dora, however will live forever as she became Li... the slave girl in TURANDOT that committed suicide for
love.
Dinner
in the restaurant beside the lake before performance of
MANON LESCAUT.
Day 9.
Late morning visit back to Torre del Lago to visit Piccini�s house. The
living room furniture has been preserved as it was when he lived there.
The fire place, the settee and the famous upright piano on which he
composed almost all his operas. Behind the piano (in what used to be a
corridor) there is now a chapel in which Puccini, his wife and his son are
buried in the wall. In the �gun room� one can see an array of rifles
he used for hunting. And there is a display of photographs and other
objects that he had collected during his lifetime. But most interesting of
all is a small collection of the original notes the composer made for the
completion of Turandot just
before he died of cancer of
the throat) in hospital in Brussels. Including his last words (written as
he could not talk) �Elvira... povera...donna... finita...� Afternoon
at leisure and evening transfer for performance of
BOH�ME.
Day
10.
Late morning excursion up in the hills overlooking the lake and sea to the
tiny town of Bargecchia. A
beautiful panorama, olive trees a few houses and a church. But this is the
church of which the bells inspired both the bells of Tosca and the
first notes of Suor Angelica (they still chime).
Rumor has it that Puccini had a.... special friend ... who
lived here, and during one of his nocturnal visits it seems that the
chiming of the bells ... disturbed, and stuck on memory. However it really
went, Puccini�s association to these bells saved them from being melted
down to make ammunition during world War II !!.There is a simple but
excellent restaurant nearby where lunch will be served.
Day 11.
Full day excursion to Florence OR the famous Chianti wine growing area and
Siena with guide.
Day
12. Transfer to Pisa or Florence airport to depart to your home
city or possible extensions.
Price
on request:
info@allegroholidays.com
Tour
Includes:
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11
nights in 3/4 star hotels
HALF BOARD, but with meals in restaurants as listed
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Private
coach with rep. throughout
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Professional
guide in Venice and Florence.
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Entrance fee
to Puccini's house in Lucca and the Villa Puccini in Torre del Lago
(other entrance fees NON included)
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Tickets
to the operas listed (the opera tickets are for numbered reserved
seats in the gradinata. If more expensive seats are required
extra charge may apply
NB In order to secure opera tickets it is essential to book very early.
Special deposit conditions apply.
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