Opera in Naples

One of the things on my list for Italy was to see an opera. After hours of research on my iPhone (sometimes I do wish I had a tablet), I found that the only place where an opera was playing that was easily going to fit into our schedule was Naples.

Last night we saw Andrea Chenier. We had almost no clue what was going on because it was all in Italian (including the subtitles), but just being there was an experience. We had a box to ourselves on the sixth (top floor) of the San Carlo Theatre (one of Italy's premier opera houses, according to our guidebook). We really had to lean up to/over the railing to see the stage well, but the perspective from the very top was fun.

I had read a synopsis of the story several days before we went, but honestly had forgotten most of it other than that it was loosely based on the life of the French poet Andre Chenier who was executed during the French Revolution. After we saw the show I read it again and everything made sense. It's not like anybody can understand opera singing anyway, but you don't go to the opera to hear the words. We thoroughly enjoyed the singing, stage play, and the atmosphere even though the only word we picked up on was "revoluzione."









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