In March the Teatro di San Carlo revives Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci in Franco Zeffirelli's classic production, with Daniel Oren conducting the theatre's orchestra and chorus. Seven performances are scheduled.
Set in a Calabrian village during the Feast of the Assumption, the opera follows a troupe of travelling players in which stage fiction and real jealousy blur until tragedy strikes. It is the signature work of Italian verismo, famous for the aria «Vesti la giubba», and Zeffirelli's colourful, crowded staging brings out its popular spirit.
Our tip: before the show, take a stroll through the Galleria Umberto I and Piazza del Plebiscito, just steps from the theatre.