Roberto Bolle and Friends
At the majestic Arena di Verona, the stellar ballet spectacle Roberto Bolle and Friends is sure to impress. A regular tour for over 20 years, the ensemble show features beloved ballet solo spots and pas de deux masterpieces from classical and modern dance works. With Italian prodigy Roberto Bolle at its core, the performance is a true declaration of love towards ballet as an art form. It is an event where the act and the venue are in perfect unison, both seemingly larger than life and unique in their history and appearance. To deepen your connection with Verona, your ticket also includes an exciting sightseeing tour on a miniature train that covers the best historic sites in the City of Love. This is a package that is hard to resist.
Roberto Bolle’s interest in ballet manifested at a very early age, and he pursued his passion with rigorous training, first in his native Piedmont, and then at the ballet school of the world-famous Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It was there that Bolle caught the eye of ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev who offered the then-15-year-old to fill the role of Tadzio in his staging of Death in Venice. Throughout the 1990’s, Roberto Bolle established himself as principal dancer at La Scala and also became active internationally, such as in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall. Performing at historic venues is really nothing new for the Italian ballet prodigy – in 1998, he danced in a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, staged between two pyramids outside Cairo.
Throughout the 21st century, Roberto Bolle’s fame continued growing, with headlining roles at Covent Garden, Mariinsky Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Paris Opera, among others. In 2000, the Roberto Bolle and Friends gala was conceived and performed for the first time, always at venues with special history and unique charm. Today, the eclectic and mesmerising variety show, bound together by Roberto Bolle’s incendiary talent, continues strong, and the show at Arena di Verona is yet another successful instalment in this ongoing homage to classical and modern dance.
While the performance itself warrants a visit to Verona, why not take advantage of the additional opportunity to get to know the city? Hop on the sightseeing mini-train that leaves from Piazza Brà, right next to the historic Arena! One day before or after the performance, or even on the same day, you can enjoy a 25-minute tour that encompasses millennia of history and architecture. Roman structures, such as Gavi Arch and the city gates Porta Borsari, spanning back thousands of years coexist with medieval structures, like the Castelvecchio or the Duomo di Verona. Riding along the riverbank of Adige, you can marvel at the Castel San Pietro and the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Lourdes on the nearby hills. These and other great sights await you on your ‘trenino’ ride through historic Verona.