Teatro Bibiena and the Aperitivo
30 May 2013
Mantova, Italy
Mantua does not have a symphony or an opera company or a grand concert hall. But it does have a lovely and intimate theater, the Teatro Bibiena where we heard a concert of baroque music.
The footprint of the theater is small and it is bell shaped. In the small part of the bell, on the main floor, there are velvet arm chairs and in the large part of the bell is a small platform for the performers. There are seats in boxes on three balconies that encircle the room all the way around, three hundred and sixty degrees. And though the interior of the theater is wood and plaster it is painted to look like marble and stone.
The original theater was built near the year sixteen-hundred and was intended for scientific lectures. That theater burned and during the seventeen seventies the Teatro Bibiena replaced it. One of the first concerts featured a thirteen year old sensation. He played his own compositions. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
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Everyday at every hour it seems to be the cocktail hour. Just like the passeggiata, the aperitivo is a daily ritual. Which is not to say everyone is boozy and drunk. The aperitifs are low in alcohol and always served with snacks. A glass of prosecco. A Campari and soda. An Aperol Spritz. A dish of potato chips. A plate of tiny sandwiches.
A bowl of nuts. The aperitivo and the passeggiata lead me to imagine that it is the pleasures of life here that are primary and the duty of work is secondary. It probably is not the case, but on the surface to me it seems so.
Marlow and Wes
30 May 2013
Mantova, Italia
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Mantova, Italy
Mantua does not have a symphony or an opera company or a grand concert hall. But it does have a lovely and intimate theater, the Teatro Bibiena where we heard a concert of baroque music.
The footprint of the theater is small and it is bell shaped. In the small part of the bell, on the main floor, there are velvet arm chairs and in the large part of the bell is a small platform for the performers. There are seats in boxes on three balconies that encircle the room all the way around, three hundred and sixty degrees. And though the interior of the theater is wood and plaster it is painted to look like marble and stone.
The original theater was built near the year sixteen-hundred and was intended for scientific lectures. That theater burned and during the seventeen seventies the Teatro Bibiena replaced it. One of the first concerts featured a thirteen year old sensation. He played his own compositions. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
********************
Everyday at every hour it seems to be the cocktail hour. Just like the passeggiata, the aperitivo is a daily ritual. Which is not to say everyone is boozy and drunk. The aperitifs are low in alcohol and always served with snacks. A glass of prosecco. A Campari and soda. An Aperol Spritz. A dish of potato chips. A plate of tiny sandwiches.
Marlow and Wes
30 May 2013
Mantova, Italia
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
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