The world's first opera museum will be opened in Verona tomorrow (Saturday), reports italymag.co.uk.
Dedicated entirely to the dramatic musical genre, the Arena Museo Opera (Amo) will open its doors to the public in the afternoon, just hours after the 90th annual Verona Opera festival began.
The name 'Amo' has been carefully chosen. Not only is it an acronym of the Arena Museo Opera, but it also evocatively translates as "he loved" in Italian, writes luxgallery.it.
The only attraction of its kind, the museum has been created by the Arena di Verona Foundation in collaboration with the noted music editors, the Ricordi family. It features extensive archives and memories that detail the history of Italian opera, and that of the Verona Festival.
Situated in the Palazzo Forti, visitors will be led 'through' forests which were used as a backdrop for an 1893 performance of 'Falstaff' before viewing signed musical scores from some of the world's most renowned opera composers.
Amo is sure to be high of the list of things to do for holidaymakers in the city to attend the Verona Opera 2012, especially as visitors that present opera tickets will receive a discount on their entrance fees.
This year, opera lovers will be treated to Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', directed by Franco Zeffirelli - the first time the work has been performed at the Arena di Verona. Other delights include Bizet's 'Carmen', Verdi's 'Aida' and Gounod's take on 'Romeo et Juliette'.
