Special Events

Festivals & Markets

The Teatro Romano is known for its Festival Shakespeariano (Shakespeare Festival) June through August, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2008. Festival performances usually begin in late May with jazz concerts, while performances of the Bard's plays generally kick off toward the end of June. In July and August, there are a number of ballets (occasionally, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet) and modern-dance performances. Check the schedule (tel. 045-807-7500 or 045-806-6485 or with the tourist office: www.estateteatraleveronese.it). Last-minute tickets go on sale at the Teatro Romano box office at 8:15pm (most performances start at 9pm). Tickets are in the neighborhood of 20€ ($26).

During Verona's summer-long festival of the arts, see what's happening in the Piazza dei Signori, where frequent free concerts (jazz, tango, classical) keep everyone out until the wee hours. And for something truly unique, check out Sognando Shakespeare (Dreaming Shakespeare): Follow this teatro itinerante (traveling theater) of young, talented actors in costume as they wander about the medieval corners of Verona from site to site, reciting Romeo e Giulietta (in Italian only) in situ, as Shakespeare would have loved it to be. For information, contact the tourist office. For information about performances July through September, call tel. 045-800-0065.

Other important events are the famous 4-day horse fair, Fieracavalli, in early November, and the important 5-day VinItaly wine fair (that overlaps with the Olive Oil Fair) in mid-April. (Verona's schedule of fairs is long and varied; while few may be of interest to those outside the trades involved, their frequency can create problems for tourists in regard to hotel availability.) The Piazza San Zeno hosts a traveling antiques market the third Saturday of every month; come early.

Will the Fat Lady Sing?

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 Aïda to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Verdi's birth, and Aïda in all of its extravagant glory has been performed yearly ever since. 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 25€ ($33) Friday and Saturday and 23€ ($30) 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€ to 180€ ($91-$234); all tickets are subject to an advance booking fee of 2.50€ to 20€ ($3.25-$26) -- 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 Aïda is everyone's most requested performance; weekend performances are usually sold out. As a last resort, be nice to your hotel manager -- everyone has a connection. And even on the most coveted nights (weekend performances by top names), scalpers abound.