Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was a famous Italian composer. Giuseppe’s oeuvre is replete with masterpieces that represent the great works of the opera genre. Thanks to his compositions, Italian opera of the 19th century reached its peak. Verdi’s talent allowed him to create twenty-six completed operas, a requiem and many wind pieces. “You can take the whole world for yourself, but leave me Italy” – Giuseppe Verdi.
The tour begins in Parma – transfer by car 40 kilometres to Roncole Verdi, the small town where Giuseppe Verdi was born. Here is the house-museum where the outstanding composer was born on 13 October 1813. Opposite the house is the church of St Michael, where Verdi was baptised and where you can see the organ on which he played on Sundays.
Further on you will go to Busseto, where you will visit the theatre built by the inhabitants of the town in Verdi’s honour in 1868. It’s a lovely little miniature town called Busseto. So Verdi – at one time – moved here, to the home of a patron of the arts, from his native village. To this day
Busseto treats Verdi as if he were alive and well. After all, what other city dweller can proudly declare: “I was born near the house where the future author of ‘La Traviata’ learnt to play the piano!”? The Barezzi house, where the young Verdi lived and studied, is now a museum.
If possible, you can visit the Casa Barezzi museum in the former home of Antonio Barezzi, Verdi’s father-in-law.
The tour ends with a visit to Verdi’s villa, which the maestro built in the countryside and where he lived with his second wife Giuseppina Strepponi from 1851 to 1901 until his death. On the ground floor of the elegant house, the rooms appear to visitors as they were 150 years ago: furniture and paintings, books on shelves, memoirs, every little detail speaks of Verdi and his genius. The villa is surrounded by a beautiful park created by the musician himself in the English style.
The composer designed the villa himself without the help of architects. The house is divided into two halves. One contains the composer’s bedroom, study and piano, and the rooms of his second wife Giuseppina Strepponi. It is here that we will learn the story of Verdi’s life and love and certainly try to understand him or at least join the great genius. The second half is still lived in by his descendants, who carefully preserve the original appearance of the villa and the beautiful garden.
