Italy: Opera under the stars

Rome: opera under the stars at Circus Maximus
Rome opera house moves to Circus Maximus for the summer.

Rome’s summer opera season by the the city’s opera house is expected to take place at the Circus Maximus, according to an announcement by the city on 19 June.

The news appears to have been confirmed by Teatro dell’Opera di Roma which released a teaser image – accompanied by the hashtag #comingsoon – of the Circus Maximus entitled “Opera al Circo Massimo” on its Facebook page.

No other information has been released about the move and it is not known if opera productions will go ahead at Piazza di Siena in Villa Borghese, as previously announced, amid reported opposition from the Amici di Villa Borghese who fear that crowds could damage the park.

Rome’s summer opera season normally takes place at the Baths of Caracalla – since 1937 – but the historic venue was ruled out definitively for being “incompatible” with the new covid-19 social distancing rules, which allow for a maxium of 1,000 spectators.

The Circus Maximus news was released by the city of Rome during its launch of the summer ‘Romarama’ programme which will be based mainly at four venues: the Cavea of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, the outdoor space of Teatro India, the city’s parks, and the “piazza” at MAXXI.

All performances scheduled for the Teatro dell’Opera’s cancelled 2020 summer season at the Baths of Caracalla have been moved to the 2021 season, with this year’s tickets valid for next summer season. New dates and details are available on Teatro dell’Opera di Roma website.

The rescheduled performances include concerts by Claudio Baglioni and Andrea Bocelli, and ballet by Roberto Bolle and Friends. News regarding the cancelled Cat Stevens show is expected soon.