A comfortable stay at the Relais Corte Guastalla, located in Veneto, in Sona, near Garda Lake, will give you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful festivals in Verona and surroundings, in the marvellous Venetian territory.
Festival Shakespeare
Bloomed thanks to the effort of Renato Simoni, who, in 1948, performed Romeo and Juliet in the Roman Theatre, the Shakespearian Festival has been, for many years, the historic core of the Theatrical Summer of Verona. A tradition handed down for decades, strengthened by the fact that the town of Verona is one of the few places in the world that can be identified with William Shakespeare. Not for nothing, it has been quoted in three different works by the English playwright, which are “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, “The Taming of the Shrew”, and the famous “Romeo and Juliet”.
Unique in Italy, and second in Europe after the one of Stratford-upon-Avon, the Shakespearian Festival, throughout the years, has been able to propose what best the Italian theatre could offer, as well as some worldwide-renowned artists and acting companies. Just to remind some of the prestigious personalities, we may mention names like Jérôme Savary, Peter Brook, Isabelle Huppert, and the stunning Vanessa Redgrave, not to forget companies like Berliner Ensemble, founded by Bertolt Brech, and the famous Royal Shakespeare Company.
Verona Arena Opera
Opera Festival
Opera lovers and music enthusiasts, will not lose the opportunity to attend to the performance of a play set into a unique background, like the one offered by the Verona Arena.
This is one of those opportunities impossible to give up on. Within such exceptional and unique stage, the Opera Festival occurs annually, since 1913. Every year, more than half million of enchanted guests attend to this unmissable performance. It does not really matter if you are not a fan of music or opera, or enthusiast tourists who go through culture and art cities: this event is such a spectacular and involving occurrence that it is impossible to slip away from its call.
So, if you have the opportunity to be in the Scaliger town, admiring a performance played in the Verona Arena is something that should be considered as mandatory. It is possible to enjoy a thrilling sight of the huge stage from both the stone terraces and the lower seats. Hence, you will enjoy, from wherever you sit, the beauty of the performance that comes alive before your very eyes.
The Verona Opera Festival takes place from June to August. In the Verona Arena are performed some plays, almost on daily basis, which gather both elderly and young audience. Therefore, the programme, changing day by day, allows in the everyday evening to attend to a famous yet different opera: a great opportunity, even if your sojourn in Verona would last just one day. It will be possible, then, to revive the magical excitement of lyric operas such as Madame Butterfly, Turandot, Nabucco, Carmen, Aida, and obviously, the unavoidable Romeo and Juliet.
Festa del Nodo d’Amore
Festa del Nodo d’Amore
On the Visconteo Bridge in Borghetto, every third Tuesday of June, the long-awaited annual event called “Love Knot Feast” takes place. A traditional dinner that occurs in the open and gathers more than 3,300 people, sat around a table longer than one kilometre.
All together passionately, they celebrate the true Tortellino of Valeggio sul Mincio, known exactly as Love Knot. The festival offers an irresistible mix of news and tradition, but also a unique atmosphere and great food.
The celebration takes its inspiration from a story of a controversial love between the captain Malco and the nymph Silvia. Malco’s passion is symbolised by a cloth, nicely tangled, made of yellow silk. That is exactly the amorous knot that inspires over than 1.3 tonnes of tortellini, severely hand-made, that are served during the dinner occurring on the historic bridge.
The menu aims to represent an elegy of perfumes and flavours of both the agricultural Veronese and Italian tradition. Not for nothing, once the feast is over, they light up a number of candles that, in harmony with colours and sounds of the fireworks, will amaze the spectators came here not to miss the Love Knot Feast, as it happens every year.
Mercatini Santa Lucia Valeggio sul Mincio
A comfortable sojourn at the Relais Corte Guastalla, located in Veneto, in Sona (District of Verona), will allow you to take part into the Santa Lucia’s Local Markets in Valeggio sul Mincio, which represents the traditional Christmas event.
In the Vittorio Emanuele square, surrounded, on this occasion, by the typical magical Christmas atmosphere, Santa Lucia appears, bringing gifts to both the grown-ups and the young ones. What cheers the event is a number of street artists, like the Storyteller, the Jester, the Stilt Walker, and the Magic Piper. There is also a folkloristic train, and hot chocolate is handed out to the kids.
