Opera houses around the country are banding together to help the Italian government raise €10 million to purchase Villa Verdi, the house lived in by world-renowned Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi for 50 years. Verdi was born in 1813 and died in 1901. He was considered to be the leading Italian opera composer of the 19th century, according to Brittanica. He is known for three operas in particular: “Rigoletto,” composed in 1851; “Il trovatore,” composed in 1853; and “La traviata,” also composed in 1853.
Here are eight things to know about the fight to save his villa. Information has been sourced from The Guardian.
Everything to know about Villa Verdi
Villa Verdi is located in Sant’Agata di Villanova, in the northern Emilia-Romagna region, where Verdi was born.
The villa was put up for sale in October 2022 after his heirs were unable to decide on what to do with the property .
The estimated starting bid for the home is €30 million.
The villa contains close to 8,000 of Verdi’s belongings, including his paintings, bed, books, piano and manuscripts.
Verdi built the house in 1848. It was first lived in by his parents.
Verdi moved into the house with his second wife in 1851 and lived there for 50 years until his death in 1901.
The Italian government has allocated €20 million in its 2023 budget to purchase the home. It intends on using it as a museum.
Concerts dedicated to Verdi will be held at opera houses across the country until the middle of June. All proceeds will go toward helping the Italian government purchase the property.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura,The Christian Science Monitor and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.