Naples
San Carlo's opera season runs from November or December to June, with occasional summer performances. Sample prices: a place in the 6th tier (from €35),…
Must-see entertainment in Italy
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Ferrara
There are few places in the solar system more cinematic than this extraordinary and intimate house of swing and syncopation occupying a restored…
Florence
An exciting work in progress, this ex-industrial plant near Parco delle Cascine hosts some of the city's edgiest contemporary art events and happenings…
Rome
The hub of Rome's thriving cultural scene and home to Rome's world-class Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (www.santacecilia.it), the…
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Livorno
Close to the waterfront, the 'Old Fort' was constructed to a design by Antonio de Sangallo the Elder in the 16th century, but incorporates an 11th-century…
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Catania
Catania's premier theatre is named after the city's most famous son, composer Vincenzo Bellini. It's one of Italy's most glorious old theatres, staging…
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Milan
Having made a name for itself with a program boasting some of the finest names in Italian cinema and theatre, Franco Parenti cemented its role as a…
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Palermo
Ernesto Basile's six-tiered art-nouveau masterpiece is Europe's second-largest opera house and one of Italy's most prestigious, right up there with La…
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Trieste
This quirky 1953 petrol station, designed by Ernesto Rogers (Richard Rogers' cousin) and the BBPR firm, was saved from dereliction in 2008 and turned into…
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Matera
This unusual cafe/bar and 'nano-theatre' is a production agency by day, but comes alive four nights a week to host film screenings, live music, product…
Bay of Naples
Naples' football team, Napoli, is the fourth most supported in Italy after Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, and watching it play in the country's third…
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Venice
One of Italy's top opera houses, La Fenice stages a rich roster of opera, ballet and classical music. The main opera season runs from January to July and…
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Verona
This is where Placido Domingo made his debut, and the annual opera season from late-June to late-August still draws the world's top names.
Milan
This trailblazing theatre with seating for 960 people was designed by Marco Zanuso in 1998 to address the size constraints of the original Piccolo Teatro…
Milan
Abandoned after WWII, the Cinema Massimo was transformed in 1999 into the state-of-the-art home of Milan's legendary Giuseppe Verde Symphonic Orchestra…
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Naples
Naples' premier classical-music association organises chamber-music concerts in venues that include the Museo Diocesano di Napoli. Local talent mixes it…
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Turin
Sold-out performances can sometimes be watched free on live TV in the adjoining Teatro Piccolo Regio, where Puccini premiered La Bohème in 1896, and it's…
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Bergamo
Named after the famed composer who was born in Bergamo, this is one of Lombardy's grand opera houses and dates back to the 18th century. The dazzling,…
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Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Rome's premier opera house, aka Teatro Costanzi, boasts a dramatic red-and-gold interior, a Fascist 1920s exterior and an impressive history: it premiered…
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Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Students, artists and activists are breathing new life into San Lorenzo's former Palace Cinema with a bevy of exciting creative happenings: think film…
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Venice
Named after the city’s great playwright, Carlo Goldoni, Venice's main theatre has an impressive dramatic range that runs from Goldoni’s comedy to…
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Como
Como’s neoclassical theatre attracts culture vultures from as far away as Switzerland and has been enlarged three times to its present 900-seat capacity…
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Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de' Turchini
Naples
Classical-music buffs are in for a treat at this beautiful deconsecrated church, an evocative setting for concerts of mostly 17th- to 19th-century…
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Naples
Need to escape the chaos of Spaccanapoli? Dive through the grand doorway of Palazzo Marigliano, up the winged staircase and into one of Naples’ most loved…
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Palermo
Tucked away in a crumbling baroque courtyard, this intimate, family-run theatre hosts wonderful concerts of world and folk music, as well as theatrical…
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Orvieto
This theatre plays host to Umbria Jazz concerts in winter and a programme of everything from ballet and opera to folk music, prose readings and Genesis…
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Florence
This vast defensive 16th-century fort is an atmospheric venue for concerts and performing arts, trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences today. Open-air…
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Trieste
One of Trieste's iconic alternative cooperative venues, Tetris has an impressive line-up of international and local live acts and DJs, with electronica…
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Pavia
Pavia's beautiful baroque theatre was conceived by one of the greatest stage designers of the 18th century, Antonio Galli Bibiena. It's bell-shaped…
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Southern Rome
Caffè Letterario is an intellectual hang-out housed in the funky, somewhat underground, post-industrial space of a former garage. It combines designer…
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San Giovanni & Testaccio
The hulking ruins of this vast 3rd-century baths complex set the memorable stage for the Teatro dell'Opera's summer performance season.
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Syracuse
Syracuse's beloved puppet theatre hosts regular evening performances; see its website for a calendar.
Rome
A trip to Rome’s impressive Stadio Olimpico offers an unforgettable insight into Rome’s sporting heart. Throughout the football season (late August to May…
Venice
A separate entity to Palazzo Grassi, Teatrino Palazzo Grassi has a 225-seat auditorium that hosts a wide range of cultural events, from live concerts to…
Milan
This refurbished 'palace' cinema complex has an impressive technical spec with 2K and 4K projectors and an Atmos sound system throughout. In addition to…
Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi
Milan
Housed in a former Lateran convent, Milan’s most prestigious musical conservatory and high school has nurtured some of the country’s best conductors and…
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
Intimate, underground and hard to find – look for the discreet black door near the corner – Rome's most celebrated jazz club draws top Italian and…
Venice
This pretty 17th-century theatre was built over the ruins of Marco Polo's palazzo (mansion). It now shares a classical music, opera and ballet program…
Parma
Offers a particularly rich program of music and opera, even by exacting Italian standards.
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Bologna
Bologna's top jazz joint, the Bentivoglio is a jack of all trades: part wine bar (over 600 labels), part restaurant (eat elsewhere) and part jazz club …
