We are planning our first extensive excursion into Italy. We are looking at July and would like to attend the opera at Arena di Verona. Should we work through the hotel concierge for tickets or is there a reliable on-line ticket agency? I am aware of www.verona.com/arena/, but can't seem to make that site work. Gradyghost

Interesting you should ask this. A couple years ago four of us were planning on seeing Aida and spending the night at the beautiful little Gabbia d'Oro Hotel in Verona, where two of us had stayed before. I was also having trouble getting the website to work. At one point I emailed the hotel confirming our reservation (this was months ahead) and mentioned the problem about the tickets. They offered to get us the tickets and hold them there for us. I provided them with my credit card number and they did this. We opted for the VIP seating, and their price was the same as listed on the website. But as luck would have it, it poured rain that night. After waiting between downpours in the arena, a little after 11 they finally announced there would be no performance.

Here's the interesting part. To get a refund on your tickets, you had to go the next day after 10 AM and stand in line to do it. We had a train out early in the morning for Switzerland. When I mentioned that at the hotel, they took the tickets and handled the refund for me. Oddly enough they did it by sending me cash (lira then) in the mail to me at home. But I was sure glad I had gotten my tickets through them as I'm not sure how I would have handled the refund otherwise.

Patrick: Sorry to hear about the rainout. I wonder how they handle intermittent showers? It sounds like the hotel is the best bet for tickets. I'll try. Do you happen to have any info or opinion on the Hotel Accademia which appears to be central and nearby Piazza Bra? I gather that you would recommend Gabbia d'Oro.

I just bought them for Florence through liaisonsabroad.com. Just to let you know--their prices are in pounds (I didn't realize that 'til we got the charge on Amex--yicks!), but we you might check them out to see if they have them for Verona.

Gabbia d'Oro is also central, just a couple blocks from the Arena. It is a wonderful little hotel, with beautiful rooms lovingly furnished and decorated, and one of the most spectacularly set buffet breakfasts I've ever seen in Europe (it's like all the family silver and crystal have been gathered together for the buffet).
I'm not familiar with any other hotels.

They wouldn't cancel the performance for so long, because they kept trying to start. The rain would stop, they'd squeezie off the stage, the orchestra would set up, then more rain came. This procedure happened three or four times, before the skies really opened up and they just gave up. I'm not sure how light showers would affect their decision to stop or to continue.

This fall the opera went on despite a pretty steady light rain.