4 days – 3 nights
Tour to discover the lives of some of the most representative figures in the history of classical music. We will retrace their steps, through the places where they spent most of their time. Places that have made them grow and that have been their source of inspiration, which will allow us to grasp the essence of these individuals, as well as their role as musicians, and the strong link with the territory.
Day 1 – ARRIVAL and ACCOMMODATION in HOTEL
Evening arrival of the group in Bologna, meeting at the airport/train station with guide and private coach. Hotel accommodation. Dinner at your leisure. Overnight stay.
Day 2 – GIOACCHINO ROSSINI and the OTHERS, discovering the personalities and places that have contributed to making Bologna UNESCO CREATIVE CITY of MUSIC
Breakfast at the hotel. Lunch at your leisure. A Rossini itinerary that winds through the city of Bologna, through places that tell the story of this great personality: Gioacchino Rossini (Pesaro 1792 – Paris 1868), Music Master and acclaimed composer. To begin with… a dive into the music of the great artist! The Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio preserves the memory of the musician’s most brilliant period: in 1842 the “Stabat Mater” was performed here for the first time. Visit to the hall and continuation along via Farini to reach the’Philharmonic Academy (Accademia Filarmonica): the musician had a fruitful and lasting relationship with this place. The Academy holds various Rossini memorabilia, including the baton with which he directed the concerts at the Music High School, a high sloping table for writing while standing, a print with autograph dedication and also letters and musical autographs. Also kept here is a pencil drawing by G. Doré portraying the musician on his deathbed, donated by the artist to Domenico Liverani, an academic and great friend of Rossini. Continuation to Strada Maggiore, where we will visit the Music Museum, which holds Rossini’s famous personal piano and precious autographed scores, then we will pass by the composer’s house, where a Ciceronian epigram and some Virgilian verses allude to the personage stature. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, concluding the walk along Strada Maggiore, places and times of the composer’s life in Bologna will be evoked, until reaching the Piazza dedicated to him, where a commemorative plaque placed on the façade of the Conservatory recalls his presence. Opportunity to attend concerts by heart, performed by the students of the Bologna Conservatory at the ancient Philharmonic High School, where Rossini was one of the first students of the school. The conclusion of the walk will be the Municipal Theatre (Teatro Comunale), where the acclaimed artist performed the most significant compositions from opera seria (serious opera) and opera buffa (comic opera), causing great clamour. At the end, thematic dinner at an exclusive restaurant in the city, where you can taste a special dish: “Tournedos Rossini”, as rich and noble as the artist – fois gras, tournedos and truffles. A delicacy!
N.B.: during the itinerary, the links with other figures in the history of music who contributed to Bologna being declared a Creative City of Music by UNESCO will also be highlighted, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.
Day 3 – In the FOOTSTEPS of GIUSEPPE VERDI
Breakfast at the hotel, meals at your leisure. Transfer to Roncole Verdi, in the province of Parma where Giuseppe Verdi was born on 10th October 1813. Here we will visit the new Multimedia Museum of the artist’s birthplace, located a stone’s throw from the church where he was later baptised, dedicated to Saint Michael. In the church itself is the first organ on which Verdi practised as a child. Transfer to Busseto, the composer’s place of residence where we will visit the places dedicated to him: Piazza Verdi, the Monument to Verdi and the splendid and sumptuous Verdi Theatre, built in his honour and inaugurated in August 1868 with the performances of Rigoletto and Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball). Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon visit to Casa Barezzi, in the hall of which the Master held his first performance and where the piano on which the Master practised is kept. The house was inhabited in those years by Antonio Barezzi who transformed it into a meeting point for young promises of music and composition. We will then go to visit the official Museum dedicated to Verdi housed in the splendid Villa Pallavicino, begun in the second decade of the sixteenth century and decorated with allegorical frescoes by Evangelista Draghi (ca 1670-80), Ilario Spolverini (in. 1700), Pietro Rubini (ca 1746) , which embellish the structure. Return to Bologna in the evening.
Available as an extra: possibility of attending an Opera at the Regio Theatre in Parma (to be agreed in advance, after checking the seasonal calendar and the availability of seats).
Day 4 – LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, the MAN, the ARTIST and his PLACES
Breakfast at the hotel. Meals at your leisure. Transfer to Modena, home town and always at the centre of the tenor’s life. The tour will lead to the discovery of the most significant places in the artist’s daily life, which propitiated the growth of the singer, but also of the man. The link between Luciano, his land and his people will be explored in depth, in order to understand the great figure in full. In the evening return to Bologna and transfer to the airport /train station.
Available as an extra: possibility to extend the trip by moving to Pesaro, birthplace of Rossini, staying in the summer residence of Luciano Pavarotti. (to be agreed in advance, subject to availability check).
The order of the visits could be changed for organisational needs, but this will have no impact on the contents of the visits
For information on fees and minimum number of participants please contact us!
The fee includes: coach available for the entire duration of the tour (VAT and tolls included); accommodation in a central 3-star hotel in Bologna on a bed and breakfast basis; all scheduled visits with a licensed guide.
The fee does not include: Meals not mentioned, entrance tickets, anything not expressly indicated under “the fee includes” section.
All risk, medical, baggage and cancellation policy available as an extra.
