Opera in Verona in winter

What opera is on at the Teatro Filarmonico in autumn 2026?

A double bill from 25 October, La Bohème from 22 November and Swan Lake through Christmas, plus orchestra concerts.

The Filarmonico is the Fondazione's 18th-century theatre on Via dei Mutilati, the Arena's winter home with the same orchestra, chorus and ballet. The autumn opens with a double bill of Stravinsky's ballet Jeu de Cartes and Menotti's one-act comedy Amelia al ballo. Then comes La Bohème in Stefano Trespidi's staging, which keeps Puccini's Paris but sets the youthful revolt in 1968, conducted by Gianna Fratta.

December belongs to Swan Lake, conducted by Patrick Lange, with a New Year's Eve show at 19:30 on 31 December. Between the operas the orchestra plays a Beethoven cycle, "Aspettando Beethoven", in the run-up to the anniversary year, with tickets from EUR 10.

What is on at the Teatro Filarmonico from January to May 2027?

Three operas, Mozart, Verdi and Beethoven, and a symphony season of nine programmes from late January.

The 2027 Filarmonico season was announced with the Arena programme. Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio opens the year in the "Mozart a Verona" series, followed by Verdi's rarely staged Alzira, a first for Verona, and Beethoven's Fidelio for the bicentenary. Each opera has four performances, usually across two weekends.

The symphony season starts on 29 January with Brahms's German Requiem under Gianandrea Noseda and runs to late May, with Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, Respighi, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto along the way. Lucas Debargue plays Schumann's Piano Concerto on 23 and 24 April. Times and prices for the 2027 dates are not on the theatre's page yet.

Do the palace opera concerts run in winter?

Yes. The concerts at Sala Girelli in Palazzo dei Mutilati play year-round, and they are an hour of arias, not a staged opera.

The format is simple: a tenor, a mezzo-soprano and a pianist, sixty minutes of famous arias and duets, in the Art Deco Palazzo dei Mutilati five minutes from the Arena. The photo at the top of this post comes from one of these concerts at Christmas. Two listings sell it: the concert with prosecco from $73, where you meet the singers in the atrium afterwards, and the version with a welcome drink from $45.

Both are rated 4.7 to 4.8 by guests, and the reviews are honest about what you get. Lisa wrote: "My first opera experience and I loved it. I was blown away by the singers and the pianist." Paul liked the singers but found the seats "very,very uncomfortable". It is a recital, not Aida with elephants, and in winter it is the easiest opera evening in town to fit around dinner.

An hour of arias by a tenor, a mezzo-soprano and a pianist in Palazzo dei Mutilati, with prosecco and the singers afterwards.

★ 4.8 · 1.5 hours · from $73

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What is I Virtuosi Italiani's 2026-27 season?

28 concerts from 11 October 2026 to 6 May 2027, mostly on Thursday evenings at the Teatro Ristori, with tickets at EUR 28.

I Virtuosi Italiani, founded in 1989, is Verona's chamber orchestra. Its 28th season has three strands: 16 main concerts, mostly Thursdays at the Teatro Ristori; six Sunday matinées at 11:00 in the former church of San Pietro in Monastero on Via Garibaldi; and six Monday chamber evenings there in February, March and April. The Christmas concert, "Cinema Fantaisie", is on 17 December.

Single tickets cost EUR 28 for the main season and EUR 25 for the Sunday and Monday concerts, with under-30s at EUR 10. Through GetYourGuide, the I Virtuosi Italiani concert starts at $28. Mary-Anne, who went in March 2024, put it well: "This concert is not specifically for tourists like some concerts are, but is a well-loved Italian event".

Can you visit the Arena di Verona in winter?

Yes, by day, with fewer crowds than in summer. The Arena is closed on Mondays, and since 1 October 2026 entry tickets are issued in your name.

Winter is the best season to stand in the empty amphitheatre: no festival sets, no queue, low sun on the pink stone. Tour operators report that from 1 October 2026 Arena entry tickets carry each visitor's first and last name, so have everyone's names ready when you book. Adult entry is EUR 12, free with the Verona Card, and EUR 1 on the first Sunday of the month from November to March. Several city monuments, the Arena included, close on Mondays; check the city's tourism site before you go.

The 45-minute guided tour from $44 adds a licensed guide and priority entry. Around Christmas, the Presepi dal Mondo nativity show runs from 14 November 2026 to 17 January 2027, daily 9:00 to 20:00, EUR 10. It began in the Arena's arches, but last winter it moved to Palazzo del Capitanio, so confirm the venue. The Arena itself sells Open Tickets for the festival as Christmas presents; see its Christmas page. For more on daytime visits, read our guide to the Arena by day.

Priority entry and a licensed guide inside the Arena in 45 minutes, a good fit for a short winter day.

★ 4.6 · 45 minutes · from $44

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