L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano G o i n g t o I t a l y t h i s S p r i n g ? For sure! And o f c o u r s e , many tourists will head for all the usual spots: Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan. But why not someplace new? Why not try to go on the trail of two of Italy's most famous musical geniuses: Giacomo P u c c i n i a n d G i u s e p p e Verdi? When you fly into Milan, be sure to visit the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see the Last Supper of L e o n a r d o D a V i n c i . Following this wonderful experience, you can then rent a car or take the train to descend into Tuscany along the beautiful Italian coast- line, until you reach Pisa. There you can follow up on a n o t h e r t r a i n r i d e t o Florence if you must… or else there is another option. Rent a car and go up the coast to Viareggio, where all the famous music festivals a r e h e l d i n t h e S u m m e r . Enjoy that and the beaches b u t t h e n g i v e y o u r s e l f another treat: take about a half-hour ride into the inte- rior to the mountain top vil- l a g e o f T o r r e d e l L a g o Puccini. Not only will you find a splendid mountain lakeside but also Giacomo's house, where he wrote many o f h i s f a m o u s o p e r a t i c scores. If you arrive at the proper time (either before or after the Italian lunchtime—check o n t h e s c h e d u l e t o m a k e s u r e — y o u c a n e n t e r t h e house. Before indulging in the purchase of souvenirs in the shop on the side, go into t h e l i v i n g r o o m a n d s e e Puccini's upright piano, up against a side wall where he s a t a n d , w h e n l o s t i n thought, could veer out the window to enjoy the lake. Then look around the walls o f t h e r o o m a n d , i n t h e many pictures hanging all around, get to know all of his famous hunting compan- ions. But don't miss going into the small room behind the piano wall, where you will stop any expressions of awe because you will have just entered the room where he and his daughter are buried. You will then exit through the door to the left that will lead you into the small room where some of his hunting gear is kept: boots, maybe a r i f l e , o r w h a t e v e r . Unfortunately, you won't get to see his car: Puccini was an avid driver, speeding at the full up and down the moun- tain road, the same road you took reach Torre del Lago. B u t h a v i n g f l o w n i n t o Milan, lovers of opera might also like to visit the birth- p l a c e o f a n o t h e r g i a n t o f Italian music, G i u s e p p e Verdi. This can be accom- plished first by an hour or so train ride to Piacenza, the h o m e t o w n o f t h e f a m o u s designer Giorgio Armani. However, for the purposes of our excursion here, it is also the birthplace of Luigi Illica the librettist partner of G i a c o m o P u c c i n i ' s L a B o h è m e , T o s c a , a n d Madame Butterfly. P i a c e n z a ( a p l e a s a n t p l a c e , w h i c h i s w h a t t h e c i t y ' s n a m e m e a n s ) w i l l a s t o u n d t h e f i r s t - t i m e tourist for all of its medieval and modern beauty. But it will likewise be of interest to earnest historians since the city was honored by the first king of the Italian nation as the Primogenita dell'Unità d' Italia ("First-born child of the Unification of Italy"). After taking in the city, a fifty-minute bus or car ride will finally bring the music enthusiast to Verdi's "terri- tory," which encompasses the villages of Le Roncole, Sant'Agata, and the city of Busseto. W h e n V e r d i w a s o n l y four, he began to demon- strate a keen musical talent and served as a member of the choir in the local church at the age of seven. When he w a s t e n , h e w a s s e n t t o B u s s e t o t o s t u d y L a t i n , Italian, and the humanities. A t t h e a g e o f t e n , h e h a d already learned to play the organ and had started com- posing cantate and piano v a r i a t i o n s . T h i s a c t i v i t y brought him to the attention THOMAS VESCE The monument dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi in Busseto (Photo: Giuseppemasci/Dreamstime) Going to Italy this Spring? ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Continued to page 22 !"#$%&'(&'#)"&'*"&+",'&-'".&/+&%(01&2'#3/#+&4(01+"%5&6-."1/"+7#& 8(++"8'-&%(0&'(&."(.3"&#+$&.3#8"-&(99&'*"&:"#'"+&.#'*;&<"#1+& =(1"&#+$&-/>+&0.&9(1&#&91""&+"?-3"''"1&#'&!!!"#$%#&'#()*"+&, !"#$%&'()*+%,-'().,/012 !""#$%#&'()$%#*+ &!,&-.#&/#0$1&2+ &!10*3

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