DAYS
6
TOUR CODE
VROP-27
COST
£4125
DAYS
6
TOUR CODE
VROP-27
COST
£4125
Established for over one hundred years, Verona’s internationally renowned opera festival ranks as one of the most outstanding in the world. Our 2027 departure features performances of Verdi’s Aida and La Traviata, alongside a fantastic opportunity to see a new production of Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet in the fair city itself.
Music List
Verdi Aida
Verdi La Traviata
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (ballet)
Overview
"In the late evening warmth as opera-goers gather around Verona’s Arena, there is anticipation in the air. Inside is the magic of two thousand years of history, the glamour of the audience, the beauty of the opera"
–Tour Manager Holly Streader
Staged in the monumental Roman amphitheatre known as the Arena di Verona – “the true home of open-air performances” – Verona Opera Festival has hosted many of the world’s greatest opera singers and some of the most awe-inspiring sets in the classical music world.
The 2027 festival promises to be a memorable occasion as the Arena welcomes some of its most popular works from across the century. The highlight of the season is the return of ballet to the Arena after 34 years with a new staging of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. As dusk falls and the candles are lit, we will take our seats for three masterpieces of the stage.
Our tour begins with a production of Verdi’s operatic masterpiece, Aida, in the recreation of the first-ever Verona Opera Festival performance of 1913. With its dramatic public scenes and moments of private intimacy, Aida is revitalised on the immense stage of the Arena, with costumes inspired by the first designs of the Egyptologist Mariette, and direction that faithfully follows Verdi’s own stage instructions. A performance of this beloved work becomes the experience of a lifetime in the superb surroundings of the Arena.
Next we will experience perhaps Verdi’s best-known opera, La Traviata. Based on Alexandre Dumas fils’s play, The Lady of the Camellias, this deservedly famous work explores themes of forbidden love, personal sacrifice and doomed youth. Overflowing with memorable melodies, director Paul Curran’s production pays homage to the Paris of the Moulin Rouge, blending Verdi’s drama with art, cinema and history.
Our tour concludes with the long-overdue return of ballet to the Arena. Romeo and Juliet translates Shakespeare’s story of the doomed Veronese lovers to the medium of dance, with Prokofiev’s immortal music brimming with searingly beautiful melodies and moments of explosive action.
"Great food and atmosphere. I believe ACE has run the Verona tour in previous years and your knowledge of the best restaurants to visit showed in the choices made"
–ACE customer on the 2025 Verona Opera Festival tour led by Paul Jackson
In ‘fair Verona’, the city of Romeo and Juliet, we will explore captivating streets and splendid medieval churches. An excursion will take us to the shores of Lake Garda, which has enchanted writers and travellers from Catullus to Tennyson. We will enjoy a boat trip from Sirmione, where the celebrated and influential 20th-century soprano Maria Callas lived in the 1950s, having made her debut in Verona in 1947, to the picturesque medieval lakeside town of Lazise.
Meanwhile, in Valpolicella Classica, we will explore the area’s long heritage as a producer of some of Italy’s finest wines, with a tour and tasting at the beautiful 14th-century manor house, Palazzo Montanari.
"I’m thrilled to be returning to the magical city of Verona, and to the awe-inspiring Arena, which is the home of the most spectacular operatic productions I’ve ever seen. Verona is an endlessly fascinating and rewarding city, and the opportunity to experience these magnificent stage productions, which feature some of the world’s leading performers, is one not to be missed!”
–Tour Director Paul Jackson
Tour Director
Paul Jackson
Tour Director Paul Jackson is a conductor of choirs, orchestras and opera; a solo and chamber music pianist; and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Verona is one of his most beloved tours.
This tour will be led by Paul Jackson, MA, PhD, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy who was, for over 20 years, Head of Music and Performing Arts and Director of Music and Performance at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. Paul has also enjoyed an extensive career as a conductor of choirs, orchestras and opera, and as a solo and chamber music pianist, performing in the UK, Europe and America. Equally at home in music from the 19th century to the present day, Paul is an enthusiastic supporter of young and aspiring composers, and has commissioned and performed many new works for a variety of musical forces. He has published widely on the music of the Australian composer Percy Grainger, and is President of the Percy Grainger Society, New York.
– ACE customer on the 2025 Verona Opera Festival tour led by Paul Jackson
Our Accommodation
Our accommodation is the comfortable and welcoming Hotel San Luca, located a five-minute stroll away from Verona’s Arena. This hotel rates consistently highly for its location, comfort level and service, with customers in 2025 remarking, “Hotel San Luca was a very friendly, family-run hotel” and “The hotel was in a very good location, close to the Arena and to the main piazza with all its restaurants. The rooms were comfortable, and the hotel staff were extremely efficient and courteous”.
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart London Gatwick 1535 on British Airways, arriving Verona 1845. Transfer to Hotel San Luca, Verona, for five nights.
Day 2
Morning: relaxed walking tour of Verona focusing on architectural and historical treasures. Free afternoon followed by early evening lecture. Evening performance at the Arena: Verdi Aida.
Day 3
Morning excursion to Palazzo Montanari, Valpolicella (14th century house) for guided tour followed by wine and olive oil tasting. Free afternoon in Verona followed by early evening lecture and independent dinner. Evening performance at the Arena: Verdi La Traviata.
Day 4
Morning: further explorations of Verona on foot, taking in additional historical highlights including Ponte Pietra, Duomo, Church of Sant’ Anastasia (exterior) and Casa di Giulietta (courtyard). Free afternoon followed by early evening lecture. Evening performance at the Arena: Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (ballet).
Day 5
Free morning. Afternoon excursion to Lake Garda for boat trip from Sirmione (including Caffe Grande Italia, where Maria Callas lived in the 1950s, having made her debut in Verona in 1947) to Lazise (picturesque medieval town).
Day 6
Depart Verona 1120, arriving Gatwick 1235.
Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer. While we will endeavour to deliver this itinerary in full, some elements may be adjusted nearer the time, particularly owing to local weather conditions. Cast and performance details may also be subject to change by the festival office.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
This tour involves a significant amount of walking over cobbles, slippery marble paving stones and up and down steps (sometimes without handrails), potentially in hot sunshine or over wet pavements. A good level of fitness is required to complete the itinerary, and we would advise you to consult our general fitness criteria in the Booking Terms & Conditions. Please note the walk from the hotel to the Arena is on flat ground and takes around five minutes. Our return walk is after nightfall but the area is well lit.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
Practicalities
All performances are scheduled to begin at 2115, and there can be occasional delays in the case of rain. Given these timings, and the higher temperatures at certain times of the day, we find that travellers appreciate a slower pace of visits during the day. Our itinerary has therefore been balanced to accommodate later starts in the mornings and some free time, particularly during the hotter parts of the day, in which to rest and relax, or to explore Verona at one’s own pace. Please note that the single rooms at the hotel are on the smaller side, and that the tour also includes a boat trip across Lake Garda.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Flight Information
For customers who wish to make their own travel arrangements, ACE is pleased to offer a flight reduction of £195.
Cost Details
Verona Opera Festival: Verdi and Prokofiev in the Fair City
June 23 - 28, 2027
Included: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a standard twin or double bedded room, performances as described (gold category), five breakfasts, one light lunch with wine tasting, four dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: travel insurance, economy double room for single use supplement £495, single room supplement £125.
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