Jaunted

High Culture, Low Culture Travel: Sing and Sock 'Em

6/17/2008 at 3:40 PM
Tags: Euro 2008, Culture Travel, Opera Travel, Sports Travel (all tags)

They may be rowdy, drunk and disruptive, but football fans are generally welcomed with open arms for the sheer economic force they bring to host cities. But not everyone in Vienna is stoked about the UEFA Football Championship and its assorted mayhem: The Vienna State Opera has canceled a concert scheduled the night of the final, and attendance is down by nearly a third overall since the footballers came to town.

Given how much singing goes on at European football matches--albeit in profane ways too complex to explore here--one would think a love of opera and the Euro Cup need not be mutually exclusive. The European championship continues through June 29, and tickets can still be had through the national organizations in competition. (That includes for matches involving teams from Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain at this writing.)

If you'd rather go highbrow, you can buy tickets by phone to the Vienna State Opera's performances or try for €30 ($46) rush tickets to shows like Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino" and Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades."

Related Stories:
· Soccer 1, Opera 0 [Canadian Press, via Google]
· Culture Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Sports Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: station_nord]

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Summer Opera Travel: Verona Opera Festival

6/16/2008 at 11:50 AM
Tags: Opera Travel, Culture Travel, Music Travel, Summer Travel (all tags)

Tune up your tenor and soprano appreciation level a huge notch this summer with one of the world's most renowned opera festivals, the annual Verona Opera Festival in Italy's fairest city.

Kicking off this coming weekend, this year's festival (the 86th!) offers tons of live performances of amazing classics like Aida, Carmen and Tosca, but it's the setting that truly makes them magical. The entire festival is held in a sonically perfect 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, the Arena di Verona.

Tickets to individual performances are sold through many online dealers, but check out one like Keith Prowse that offers packages for travelers that include both tickets to the major shows and decent local hotel rates, too.

An insider tip? Just like any other opera make sure you're on time for Act One. The locals apparently aren't friendly if you're cutting through the massive rows five minutes after start time. Feel free to BYOB though, concession stands are few and far between.

Related Stories:
· Datebook [NYT]
· Summer Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: andy_kyte_uk]

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