The Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro

All the operas on the program are presented in the critical edition, specially produced by the scholars of the Rossini Foundation and are also an opportunity to discover two of the most beautiful music halls in Italy: the Rossini Theatre and the Pedrotti Auditorium. The Theatre was built in the nineteenth century in place of the Teatro del Sole, demolished to make room for a larger building. From the original seventeenth-century structure, only the portal has been preserved. During the Rossini Opera Festival (whose program is also enriched with serenades and bel canto concerts), the entire city becomes a single large circle of enthusiasts and it often happens to hear, in the main square, Piazza del Popolo with the beautiful Fountain of the Tritons, people’s comments on the scenes and high notes from the previous evening. The Festival lasts about two weeks, attracting enthusiasts and curious visitors from around the world who, during the day while waiting for the evening performances, enjoy the beautiful seaside promenade lined with Art Nouveau villas and tidy bathing establishments; they fill the shopping streets, elegant cafés, and restaurants where they taste a rich local cuisine, partly from the Marche region and partly from Romagna, as Pesaro is just a stone’s throw from the province of Rimini.