Yes, you need a break from time to time, just like when I go to the Avignon theatre festival every year (leaving on Tuesday this year) and see 3-5 plays a day before I burn out.

Tonight, or by this time I should say "last night," was our final opera, "Turandot" and we wondered if we would get to see it at all.

At 8:30 PM it was still raining steadily but we got dressed and headed to the arena anyway. "Formal attire" consisted of long-sleeved rugby shirts, nylon travel trousers, windbreakers, and umbrellas.

Just before the appointed start time of 9PM there was no official word as to any cancellation so we went in. The arena reserves the right to delay the start of any performance for as long as 2 1/2 hours beyond the curtain time. If the performance is cancelled a refund is authorized. Once a performance starts and is then cancelled due to weather regardless of how many bars of music have been played there are no refunds.

Remember this is <B>opera</B> so allow me to set the scene. Many are huddled inside like sardines; the rest of us are sitting in our seats with umbrellas or ponchos (the arena folks are very actively roaming the aisles and wearing their own ponchos while selling them along with the programs, the CD, the picture books, you name it).

The rain continues as they use the giant crane to drop the last of the huge set pieces into place.

People start stamping their feet and making all sorts of noises; an announcement is made: "We are awaiting further word from the meteorological office" [announced in Italian, German, and English]. This is greeted with some sporadic booing but the crowd quiets down as the rain continues to fall.

The crane is shut down and the stagehands disappear.

Another 15 minutes and more agitation from the "audience." Another announcement: "We continue to wait for further information from the meteorological office. Thank you for your patience." Louder boos ensue; rain continues but appears to be slacking off a little and it is now almost 10 PM.

The stalwarts are there in there authentic "formal attire" and a poncho looks fab on an evening gown I can tell you. The couple from France sitting next to us starts a rather long public display of affection that begins to border on soft porn. We continue to wait.

Bathroom break in the "building" and not unusually there are always a few people over in this part of the world who absolutely refuse to get into any lines for any reason regardless of how long those lines are. When you have to go I guess you really have to.

Back to the seats for a while longer and then suddenly, the lights on the music stands are illuminated. All those electrical wires for the lighting and the microphones along with the pooled water in the pit seems like a recipe for certain disaster but suddenly the pit and stage are engulfed by masses of people with huge rolls of paper towels, squeegies, and mops and the rain really does slack off.

The larger instruments including kettle drums and those five harps suddenly appear followed by the musicians in raincoats and jackets (all black, of course) as people rush for their seats.

The lights dim and the maestro Daniel Oren who is an absolute wild man on the podium appears and we are off. This guy actually speaks to the orchestra periodically as he conducts and the leaps and contortions are fun to watch in and of themselves.

No intermission between the first and second acts due to the late start but rather a short pause for scenery placement. The big court scene in Act II turns out to be another arena elaborate costume extravaganza with fans and masks, dancers, streamers, and all sorts of exotic attire. Plenty of silver and gold lame and as usual, Turandot in some sort of sparkling headgear and her body wrapped in an Italian opera-inspired Chinese version of silver quilted woman-warrior attire. Once you've worn those horns and gold braids and carried that spear along the banks of the Rhine I guess it is hard for some divas to give that up.

Big voices again tonight with Marco Berti and Evelyn Herlitzius in the two major roles. "Nessun dorma" didn't exactly bring the house down as it did when we heard it at the Liceu in Barcelona a couple of years ago but this one was pretty thrilling and I suspect it alone is why a lot of people put up with Ping, Pang, and Pong in the first place, not to mention all that rain. Where did Puccini or whoever come up with those names anyway????

Out at around 1:30 AM and and preparing for an early train to Rome later this morning. We fly home on the 15th.

Again thanks for reading I wish all of you the very very best.

It has clearly been a superb trip in spite of a few glitches, but since you have the right attitude, no problem!

I hope that your stay in Rome will be excellent. Please don't pose with the gladiators in front of the Colosseum. Or else, if you do so, it is obligatory to post the photo here.

Oh the waiting and the tension! Glad it worked out for you. Apparently opera is not for the faint of heart.

I'd love to see a selfie of you with a gladiator... eagerly awaiting...

LOL! Thanks for your replies. We really aren't into selfies for some reason and if we did do one with the gladiator I would insist he be using his own phone while we took the picture with one of our own.

As to opera and other things not being for the faint of heart, I will say we have had more "problems" on this trip than usual and if you've read the report you can see we have had really very little to be concerned about all-told.

Yesterday morning our rail trip from Verona to Rome was truly uneventful. The train was not full and there was plenty of room for the luggage; watched as the "conductor" kicked several people out of First Class; had one of those coffees from the complimentary cart being pushed through the aisle. The size of it reminded me we are in Italy: small but oh, so powerful.

When we got to Termini which was the usual mob of humanity we were immediately approached by some of those "private" cab drivers as we exited and forgetting for a moment as to how that all works here we almost got sucked in. A "special price today of twenty eight Euro" made me suddenly become alert that we were not at the ATAC (or whatever it is called) stand and we went there instead. Paid considerably less for the ride to the Albergo del Senato hotel next to the Pantheon.

As much as everyone seems to rave about this hotel I am wondering if some folks would like the fact that the "piazza" outside of it seems to remain constantly jammed with visitors. Talk about "too touristy" but these people are in the area for obvious reasons.

We ate dinner last night in a place just a few blocks from the hotel and due to the hotel's recommendation. It sat in one of those winding back-alley-like Roman streets and we ate on a more or less porch. Normally do not "review' the places we eat because for the most part we only eat one meal a day when traveling (besides hotel breakfasts) and we are satisfied with pretty much "ordinary" nicely-prepared food.

I will say the salads and pasta dishes we enjoyed last night were delicious and decently-priced.

Today we might do a little sightseeing (we have been to Rome many times in the past). Finally caught up on sleep last night after three nights of after midnight opera let-outs.

These operas in Verona's arena sure sound like special experiences. Not sure I could stand the concern about the weather, waiting and the crowds and all that, though.

I am surprised Herlitzius sings Turandot. Saw her as Elektra a few months ago (brilliant) and didn't think she would do that well in Verismo. But she certainly has a big voice.

All in all it was a great trip, right? Very glad for you!

You should have been in Germany yesterday for all the celebrating. Huge crowds.
Those private cabbies are very aggressive in the terminals.

Ingo, we have been to Verona several years in a row now. This is the first time we have had any weather-related issues whatsoever but perhaps we have simply been more fortunate than most.

As to the staging, etc., even though the Munich opera house has one of the largest stages anywhere the Verona stage width is much, MUCH larger and they seem to make full use of that capability.

I have no idea what the budget is but they seem to spare little money when it comes to costumes. Of course the set pieces are sometimes used year after year since a certain number of the operas are part of every year's program.

I wasn't able to compare the size of the orchestra with the one which played in Munich but I can tell you that Munich, when it had harps, only had two and Verona had, and used, five.

As to Herlitzius, yep, she's definitely got the voice and i know she has done Wagnerian roles. But Birgit Nilsson was also a Wagnerian diva if I am not mistaken and she also sang Turandot; unfortunately i was never able to hear her do either in person.

She was formidable the other night for sure and a good actress, too.

Today is our final day in Rome before we leave for home tomorrow morning. Despite having been to Rome several times in the past we did at least two things we have never done before today. We visited the Pantheon first which happens to be right outside our hotel.

As was the case yesterday afternoon when we arrived, the piazza in front of the Pantheon as well as the interior was very busy with lots of visitors. The interior is, of course, impressive if for no other reason IMO than the statuary. Above the "major" altar it looks as if the dust might be the original since it looks to be pretty thick.

Earlier in the day we went over to Vatican City for a while. Did not go inside St. Peter's; the line to get in was long but appeared to be moving fairly fast. There were a bunch of people circling the area and offering the opportunity to "skip the line." I am not sure just how that works but I assume it is legit somehow.

This evening we walked over to the Piazza Navona to view its impressive fountain. Again, lots of visitors and plenty of action in those restaurants which are on the perimeter. We were approached by restaurant employees as we went past and that alone prompted us to eat elsewhere.

We found a little hole in the wall with tables outside and no umbrellas where the food was simple and well-prepared; the salads were delicious with their fresh herbs and the table bread very chewy. When we ordered a bottle of still water the waiter brought a dish filled with ice cubes (this happened at the restaurant last night, also) so it was obvious to them that we were from the US or at least not from Europe.

The Albergo del Senato has been a great place to stay and the staff have been wonderfully helpful. You really can walk to many well-known sites from here if you choose to do so.

Above the "major" altar it looks as if the dust might be the original since it looks to be pretty thick>>

in need of something to do one wet day in Rome, we ended up looking round the Museo centrale del Risorgimento in the Victorio Emmanuele monument [it was free too!] and the dust was inches deep. feather dusters appear to be at a premium in Rome!

Thank you for your contribution to my Germany thread, Dukey - all the way from Rome! Have a safe journey home.

Sorry for the delayed response. As much as I enjoyed our two-night stay in Rome with its traffic and activity, I was thinking that in some ways it would have been nicer to be in some smaller town or city.

Yes, there might not be as many things to see and do but even if there are only a few things to "see and do" I can appreciate, and more and more, the advantages of being in a quieter setting.

Paris also comes to mind. As much as we enjoyed the Intercontinental Grand Hotel there is probably no way we would ever stay in that part of Paris again. No, it is not "bad" but simply not that ideal for what we now like to do, etc. Guess you have to go to some locations at least once and learn from those experiences.

Annhig, I hope you have a wonderful trip wherever in Germany you end up visiting/staying the night(s).

Regarding Verona Opera tickets: are these the kind that need to be purchased as soon as they are released for sale? I am planning to visit Verona in Sept 2015. When are the tickets become purchasable for non-subscribers?

Thanks, Dukey. I have enjoyed your reports from this most interesting trip and agree that smaller places often have a lot to offer, though I love Rome and Paris too. IME though they are better for longer periods of time when you can relax into a routine and explore at a more leisurely pace. you can really see very little in a capital city in a few days whereas in a small place you can get to know it and its environs quite quickly.

Greg, I am trying to remember what time last year the tickets went on sale. I will check and put another reply up in a moment. I always buy our tickets directly from the Arena as opposed to the various agencies which will also have them for sale.

I assume you read parts of my report in which I said the performances were not sold out. In my experience if you want to be in the so-called (in the US anyway) "orchestra" section and in particular in the front section of the orchestra it is helpful to but your tickets early I think.

Let me clarify something above: I use the Arena di Verona website to buy tickets but as I recall the Arena site actually refers you to a service (I think it may be Geticket) for the actual ticket purchase.

Checking my records I find that I bought all the opera tickets for Verona at the same time and that was in very early September of 1913.

The only thing I actually have ever "subscribed" to is for the periodic e-mails which the Arena sends out. This isn't really the same as subscribing as we do here to our local (Florida Grand Opera) opera company by buying a season subscription.

For Verona, you can buy as many tickets and for as many shows as you want and as far as I have ever seen it is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Now, as I mentioned upthread, there is a least one tour operator/broker which has bought some, if not all, of the seats in the very first row of the orchestra. I know this company has already bought them again for the 2015 season because I read one of their flyers on which they listed every date they have seats available.

The top orchestra seats THIS year were 188 Euro each but you certainly pay a lot less and still get decent seats IMO.

Even further revision! If you go to the Arena website and click on the 2015 program it looks as if tickets are already on sale.

"Once you've worn those horns and gold braids and carried that spear along the banks of the Rhine I guess it is hard for some divas to give that up."

LOL!!! Thanks so much for the wonderful report