Get Out: Music Under the Stars

Rome always guarantees a very hot July packed with musical events. But sometimes the Roman disco inferno is too hot to handle, and an overnight or weekend trip outside of the city is the only way to beat the heat. Reporting on the beat of Lazio’s outdoor evening festivals is Mary Jane Cryan:

The sound of music echoes through Viterbo’s (approximately 40 miles north of Rome) medieval piazzas on Friday, when the Tuscia Opera Festival presents La Boheme.  This four-year-old summer-long opera and music festival lasts through September 4 and includes performances by contemporary musicians including the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra (July 26) and Le Vibrazioni, Italian rock band (August 28). Program highlights: Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Elisir d’Amore,  Cavalleria Rusticana and Carmine Burana.

In nearby Ferento, the country becomes a magical venue as the original 2^nd century BC Roman theatre comes alive for a summer theater season of music, theater and dancing under the stars from July 21 through August 6.  For tickets and information, visit Promotuscia office (Via Ascenzi, Viterbo).

Film fans will flock to Est Film Festival in Montefiascone the delightful cool and literally refreshing town town perched above Lake of Bolsena (approximately 2 hours north of Rome).  From July 24 through August 4, Italian actors and directors relax in Montefiascone’s medievals walls, watching and voting for films competing in an al fresco Cannes-like festival.  Not to miss: Rocca dei Papi for the exhibition of original Fellini clow costumes and Enoteca Provinciale’s wines.

Heading to Tuscany? Friday, July 16, marks the start of the 56^th edition of the Puccini Opera Festival, an annual opera festival near Viareggio.   Elaborately staged performances are held in a new open-air theatre overlooking Torre del Lago, with Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West as this season’s opener– 100 years after Puccini’s  “American” opera  was first performed in New York City with mythical tenor Enrico Caruso.  Tickets can be purchased on line (puccinifestival.it) and visitors should plan on arriving early for a visit to the ancestral home of Maestro Giacomo Puccini, still owned by his descendents

Don’t forget your mosquito repellent!