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25-29 October with Daniel Snowman • 5 Days / 4 Nights from £2,245

MILAN: In the Footsteps of Verdi

music tour

HIGHLIGHTS• Watch two of Verdi’s most loved grand

operas, Don Carlos and Aida, at the renowned La scala

• Delve into Milanese opera with special behind-the-scenes access to La scala and the Ansaldo Workshops

• Follow the full life of Verdi with visits to the key places of his life

• Tour coincides with 200th anniversary

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. In the month of his bicentenary, follow in the footsteps of the great Italian composer and patriot. Based in Milan, you will hear two of Verdi’s grandest operas at La Scala and be shown around the Scala museum and the theatre workshops. Visit the village of Verdi’s birth, his home in Busseto and his beloved farming estate at nearby Sant’Agata. When Verdi died, in Milan, he was universally mourned as the supreme embodiment of the nation he had helped create. All this – plus Leonardo’s Last Supper – make this Italian pilgrimage a real delight.

THE JOURNEYDay 1 – To Milan: Fly from London Heathrow to Milan with British Airways. Transfer to the Hotel De La Ville for 4 nights. Evening welcome dinner. (D)

Day 2 – Milan: This morning, visit Milan’s greatest treasure, the Duomo di Milano, the monumental gothic cathedral that took nearly six centuries to complete. Tour the vast interior before visiting the rooftop for spectacular views of the city. Continue to the Casa di Riposo, the home for retired singers and musicians commissioned and masterminded by Verdi in his old age. Built in neo-gothic

DANIEL SNOwMANDaniel Snowman was educated at Cambridge and Cornell. A Lecturer at Sussex University, he went on to the BBC where he produced radio features and documentaries on cultural and historical topics. His books include portraits of the Amadeus Quartet and Plácido Domingo; a study of the cultural impact of the ‘Hitler Emigrés’; and The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera.

style, the house became the final resting place for Verdi and his wife Giuseppina Strepponi. Proceed to the church and Dominican convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie, a Unesco world heritage site, which houses the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. This afternoon, visit the Brera Art Gallery, which contains a fine collection of Italian paintings dating from the 14th century to the present day. Return to the hotel before enjoying an optional evening performance of Verdi’s Don Carlos at the Teatro alla Scala. (B)

Day 3 – Busseto: Drive to the provincial town of Busseto and the Casa Barezzi where Verdi lived as a boy – and nearby Le Roncole where he was born. Continue to Verdi’s estate at Sant’Agata, which is still owned by lateral descendants of the Verdi family, and where the composer lived for the final decades of his life. Several rooms are open for public viewing and contain historic memorabilia, including such items as the Fritz piano that Verdi used to compose many of his operas from Rigoletto in 1851 to Aida in 1871. Continue back to Busseto for lunch before an afternoon visit to the magnificent Renaissance-

style Villa Pallavicino, home to the recently inaugurated National Verdi Museum. (B, L)

Day 4 – Milan: Today’s sightseeing begins with a specially arranged tour of the entire Teatro alla Scala complex, including not only the recently restored auditorium, with its celebrated boxes, but also (subject to rehearsal schedules) a tour of the stage and backstage area. Continue with a visit to the Scala museum, which details the history of opera through exhibitions of instruments, costumes, set designs, ceramics and portraits of celebrated composers, singers and conductors. Afternoon at leisure before a lavish evening performance at La Scala of Verdi’s Aida. (B)

Day 5 – Milan: This morning, make a private visit to the Scala Workshops, located since 2001 in the former Ansaldo steel-making district of Milan. Watch technicians and designers at work on the latest set and costume designs, as well as live practice sessions and dress rehearsals. Continue to the Castello Sforzesco, a 14th-century citadel and former seat of the duchy of

Teatro alla Scala, Milan

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Duomo di Milano, Milan

MILAN: In the Footsteps of Verdi tour prices and departures

Tour code: MTV 25 Oct 2013: £2,245 Single supplement: £350

Price includes: Return flights from London Heathrow with British Airways; accommodation in a 4-star hotel; transfers; sightseeing; opera tickets as described above (stalls category); taxes; services of local English-speaking guides. Prices above are per person based on two people sharing a twin room. The prices were valid at the time of publication, but may be subject to change. Please visit coxandkings.co.uk for further information and supplement details.

Milan. The complex includes numerous civic museums, most notably a Museum of Musical Instruments and the Applied Arts Collection, which houses a fine collection of ancient and rare pieces. There is also an impressive art collection with works by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for and fly to London Heathrow with British Airways. (B, L)

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals.

NOTES Opera tickets: For performances at La Scala, Cox & Kings only uses the highest class stalls / box tickets to ensure an uninterrupted view;

not guaranteed with lower ticket classes. Please contact us for ticket prices for the optional performance of Don Carlos.

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