Our Tours

GIUSEPPE VERDI's LAND

home > proposal > CULTURAL TOURS > GIUSEPPE VERDI's LAND

Places dear to Giuseppe Verdi, see where the composer was born and grew up, breathe the spirit of Opera. Experience the culture and traditions of his land: Parma and Piacenza.

CODE: VERDSAG07

FIT & GROUPS Min 6 /Max 50 Participants

______________________________________________________

GENERAL INFO:

Duration: Full day Guided Tour. Fitted for all.

Departing Time: 08:30 AM

Hotel Pickup: available from most Piacenza area lotels.

Languages: English or Francais or Espanol or Deutsch.

Seasonality: January 16 to December 15. Not available on Mondays.

TOUR DESCRIPTION:

The tour brings participants to see the places where the composer Giuseppe Verdi was born and grew up, where as an adolescent he fell in love with music.

Verdi was born at Le Roncole, near Busseto (Parma) on October 9th or 10th, 1813. his father was an innkeeper, his mother a spinner. The young boy soon showed his talent for music, as evidenced by the phrases written on his spinet by the harpsichord maker Cavalletti:"seeing the good disposition of young Giuseppe Verdi for learning to play this instrument". His education in the arts and humanities was enriched in the large library of the Jesuit school in Busseto, still in use today. Giuseppe Verdi loved his land and was profoundly attached to it. He spent a great deal of his time overseeing the agricultural work on his farm and he dedicated loving care to the park of villa Sant'Agata, gradually enriching it with exotic botanical species.

The itinerary starts from the small village of Roncole (suburb of Busseto, now called Roncole Verdi) and the native house where the Composer was born. Proceed in Busseto with a visit to Casa Barezzi Museum and see Teatro Verdi.

The morning portion of your tour ends with an enjoyment of local cuisine in a typical "Trattoria” of Busseto. Have a Lunch at an historical and extraordinarily homely place with a soft musical background of Verdi ‘s " arias ". Wrapped up in a magical atmosphere , you are surrounded by objects arousing memories, by shelves full up with typical products: from delicious cured meats and salami to different qualities of cheese served with walnuts and excellent cakes. All this is matched with the typical local wines served in characteristic bowls . It ‘ s really the best way to spend a joyful moment with friends together with simple but delicious food.

Proceed with the afternoon portion of the tour by visiting “Villa Verdi” in Sant'Agata (Villanova sull’Arda, Piacenza) that was bought by the composer in 1848. The Maestro shared the house with his second wife Giuseppina Strepponi. The house is intimately tied to the places associated with Verdi at Busseto and is surrounded by a large and luxurious park designed by the composer himself.

The Maestro lived there his whole life from 1851 (aside from many sojourns in Paris and in the Ligurian Region near Genoa. Visit the museum where Verdi's heirs still live. One can see the original rooms with complete interior décor and furnishings, the singer's dressing room with a piano, Verdi's bedroom and the Studio with desk containing various objects. His original piano, several books and a portrait bust made of terracotta by the sculptor Vincenzo Gemito. The tour proceeds through other rooms containing documents, photographs, copies of Verdi's works and the furnishings of the bedroom at the Grand Hotel in Milan where the musician died. Among the great masterpieces of theatrical and instrumental music: Rochester (1837), Nabucco (1842), I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843), Giovanna d'Arco (1845), Macbeth (1847), Luisa Miller (1849), Rigoletto (1851), La traviata (1853), Il Trovatore (1853), I Vespri Siciliani (1855), Simon Boccanegra (1857), Un ballo in maschera (1859), La forza del destino (1862), Don Carlos (1867), Aida (1871), Otello (1887), Falstaff, Stabat Mater and a Te Deum for chorus and orchestra.

Verdi's death on January 27th, 1901, marked the end of an era in Italian life but the beginning of the ever increasing fame of his works, alive today as never before on the stages of the whole world of music.

THE PRICE INCLUDES (Inclusions):

Entrance fees where needed

Typical Lunch in a local “Trattoria”

Hotel pick up, Coach touring and hotel drop off

Your requested language speaking guide

Travel Insurance

THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDES (Exclusions):

Optional gratuities

Food and drink, unless specified

IMPORTANT NOTES:

This tour must be booked at least 15 days in advance of your travel date. Confirmation will follow ASAP.

Tour is operated in English unless otherwise requested