Children crossing

Talent show, rain, summer!

After days of pouring rain and thunderstorms, I am glad to officially welcome summer 2010! I took this photo yesterday, at around noon. At that time (and I suppose even earlier), a crowd of boys and girls stood in front of the stage where, many hours later, sang and danced the winners of one of the most famous italian talent shows, "Amici" (friends). I have never watched it but I know that it is extremely popular and some of the winners have actually become famous, especially singers.

Waiting for Aida

Waiting for to go on stage next 19 june with G. Verdi's Aida, golden sphynxes rest right out of the Arena walls, under a hot sun.

Click here to see the Opera calendar and buy your ticket for an unforgettable evening at the Arena!

Roman marbles

Walk on the Arena

Dew drops

Yesterday morning, as I was rushing into my car, I noticed the dew on the soft top of a white Porsche and thought it was going to make a nice contrast with the Arena in the background. What do you think?

Theme day: PASSAGEWAY

One of the many passageways inside the Arena's "belly"!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants"

Styles mix

On the left, the back of Palazzo Barbieri; the Arena and a private building on the right.

Golden birdcages

Louis Vuitton's window, Piazza Bra. Luxury items consumers - fashion victims - are perhaps like caged birds?

(I am the one behind the shoes...)

Advertising

This advertising panel covers the broken profile of the arena's outer ring (you can spot the image of the upper part of the circle on the top panel, see it better here).

In the last few years shis side of the Arena has been used for big advertising campaigns, causing some fair polemic among the veronesi.

Arena's belly

Arena upside down

This street performer enchanted the crowd. He carelessly handled the glass globe and with amazingly fluid movements made it slide on his hands, arms, shoulders. He performed with incredible ability and a catching smile on his face.

Elegance at the Opera

A break between the first and second act of Bizet's "Carmen": some of the people come out on the square to admire the Arena.

Ready for Carmen, tonight!

Tonight, Bizet's Carmen will open the 87th edition of the Opera Festival of the Arena.

Lots of "vips" will be seated in the first rows and the theatre will be complete with people from all over the world...   Read more!

I want to thank all of you, my dear blogger friends who have followed me. Some have been with me from the start, some have joined along the way, some are totally new and, oh, I thank you so so so much for your kind words. Your comments and your blogs have inspired me and pushed me to do my best. I learnt a lot over these months and felt part of a community with real friends, not just names on a page. Some of them have become part of my "daily life" and, honestly, I wouldn't have thought that this could ever happen through the web!

Summer is here (more than 30°C...uff....!) and today it is my daughter's last day at school. Lately I have been taking less photos and been quite busy. We're preparing to leave for summer holidays back in my hometown on the beautiful Tuscan sea of Monte Argentario. Initially we'll be away for a week from sunday. Eventually come back for about ten days and then off again until the end of august. From today I will be more or less on/off, until I will be totally "off" when I will be in Argentario, as I doubt I'll have an internet connection.

I count to be back on track with Verona Daily Photo at the beginning of September. 

I will "knock on your doors" to say I'm back! 

Wishing you all a great summer and wonderful holidays!

Valeria

xxx

CIAO!

Wind Music Awards

I could hear the boast of 14000 people cheering for the many italian pop stars on stage yesterday. I can hear them now: as I write this, the second and last show is on  and I can tell any time another star steps on the stage...

When I walked home hundreds of people were packed in the back of the Arena and tall black dressed security staff were keeping the crowd at bay. 

I must say that it's a tiny tiny bit disappointing to be here at home, my daughter sleeping, my husband at work and so much going on a couple of hundred steps away from me...

I'll have to see the show on tv next week!

Sun and clouds. Busy saturday!

Yesterday afternoon Piazza Bra was really choc-a-bloc! There was a huge event in the Arena last night and people were packed at the gates as early as five in the afternoon. Big italian pop singers (and international stars like Lenny Kravitz) were the guest stars and a red carpet was laid down in the middle of the square to have them walking up to the stage between two rows of crowd. The show will be aired on tv next week.

I took this photo as I was walking past the carpet and onto Via Mazzini, feeling a bit like a salmon swimming his way up the river flow....

Summer evening at the Arena

Getting ready...for the Opera #2

I guess this will become a short series as the Arena is in complete turmoil and preparation for the beginning of the Opera Festival is well advanced.

I played a little with this photo, as you can see...  I snapped it a few days ago putting my hands through the wire net. Until a couple of weeks ago I couldn't have done this because high wooden panels shielded the works in progress. I wonder why they were removed as they came back just the other day and they will remain in place for the whole summer as this is the artist's entrance.

You can see the back stage and the pit stalls (the photo lacks of perspective, the theatre entrance looks nearer than it actually is...). 

The scenography is clearly Aida's!

Getting ready...for the Opera

In the last couple of weeks the activity inside the Arena has become hectic. Our huge roman amphitheatre is "getting ready" for the 2009 Opera Festival!

Rally Storico Due Valli

If you were in Piazza Bra yesterday afternoon you would have seen the start of the "Due Valli" classic car rally race on the hills around Verona.

I liked this Fiat 124 Abarth more than the Porsches... My husband used to have one: I loved to drive in this car: it made any places we visited more romantic and added a special quality to my memories.