Following the opening of the 90th season of its Lyric Festival, the Arena di Verona Foundation will inaugurate the Arena Opera Museum (Amò), the first museum of its kind, on Saturday the 23rd of June at noon.
Upon entering, visitors will walk through forests painted by Adolf Hohenstein from Teatro della Scala's 1893 Falstaff into a 1.400 square meter space in the Palazzo Forti, a historic building best known today for the prestigious exhibits at its Gallery of Modern Art, which showcase the likes of M.C. Escher and Sol LeWitt.
Fifteen rooms take visitors through both the history of Italian opera, incorporating original signed scores such as "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca, "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto, and "Amami Alfredo" from La Traviata, and the history of the Arena Lyric Festival, which has commemorated the 100th anniversaries of the births of composers like Verdi and Wagner through its seasons.
Arena Director Francecsco Girondini emphasised that "it will be the first [museum] in the world entirely dedicated to opera".
The Ricordi family of librettists and musical editors have closely collaborated with the Arena di Verona Foundation on the museum, providing costumes, scenery, properties, and photographs from their private collection.
Amò opens to the public at 3.00 pm on Saturday the 23rd of June. Visitors who present opera reservations or Arena admission tickets receive discounted admission.
