Verona's renowned opera season begins in late June and extends through August in Verona's Arena, the ancient amphitheater. It began in 1913 with a staging of Aida to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Verdi's birth, and Aida in all of its extravagant glory has been performed yearly ever since; when I last attended, in 2000, modern dance and minimalist scenery were incorporated to great effect. Expect to see other Verdi works such as Un Ballo in Maschera, Nabucco, La Traviata, and Rigoletto.
Those seated on the least-expensive, unreserved stone steps costing 20€ ($22) Friday and Saturday and 22€ ($25) otherwise, enjoy fresh air, excellent acoustics, and a view over the Arena's top to the city and surrounding hills beyond. The rub is that Jose Carreras will only appear to be 1 inch high. Numbered seats below cost from 70€ ($81) to 154€ ($177); all tickets are subject to an advance booking fee of 2.50€-20€ ($2.90-$23) -- worth it, unless you're willing to tough it out by lining up at 4 or 5pm for the 6pm opening of the gates for unreserved seating (and the show doesn't even start until 9pm).
The box office is located on Via Dietro Anfiteatro 6b; credit card purchase accepted by phone or online (tel. 045-800-5151; fax 045-801-3287; www.arena.it). You pick up tickets the night of the performance. If you hope to find tickets upon arrival, remember that Aida is everyone's most requested performance; weekend performances are usually sold out. As a last-minute resort, be nice to your hotel manager or concierge -- everyone has a connection, or a relative with a connection. And even on the most coveted nights (weekend performances by top names), scalpers abound.
