About us
The history, people, and figures of the world's oldest opera festival
About us
The Opera Festival at the Arena di Verona was born on 10th August 1913, with the first performance of Aida commissioned by Veronese tenor Giovanni Zenatello and theatre impresario Ottone Rovato to commemorate the centenary of Giuseppe Verdi's birth. For over a hundred years (except for two brief interruptions during the great wars and the pandemic), every summer, the Roman amphitheatre is transformed into the world's largest open-air opera house.
The current organisational structure is the result of the reform enshrined in Law Decree no. 134 of 1998 and by D.L. 134 of 1998, which transformed the opera houses into private-law Foundations, giving rise to the current Fondazione Arena di Verona, and sanctioned the possibility of entry to private partners. The Fondazione's current Founding Members are the Italian State, the Ministry of Culture, the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Verona, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of Verona and Cattolica Assicurazioni. In the past, the Province of Verona, Fondazione Cariverona, the Banca Popolare di Verona and the Accademia Filarmonica di Verona.
The institutional purpose is to perform non-profit cultural activities of public utility, pursuing the dissemination of musical art and musical education for the general public.
