This itinerary to discover the homeland of the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, centers around the city of Busseto in the province of Parma.
The are eleven locations to discover; from his birthplace in Roncole to the Teatro G. Verdi in Piazza Verdi, Busseto.
Verdi was born on the 10 October 1813 and his family home became a national monument in 1901.
His birth certificate was written in French as the commune di Busseto had been annexed by France and incoporated into the Department of Taro at the time.
His father ran an osteria and legend states that at the time of his birth an itinerant musical group were in town playing for the patron saint day.
Although humble, the family was literate and it was often the case that his father read the letters of other members of the community who were not blessed with an education.
Verdi never forgot his roots and wrote in 1863 'I was and will always be a country man from Roncole'.
In 1913, for the centenary of his birth, a bronze bust was realised in the garden next to his family home, while in the year 2000, for the centenary of this death, his family home was restored.
To complete the itinerary the other Verdi locations not to miss are:
- Church of San Michele Archangelo
- Sanctuary of Madonna dei Prati
- Casa Barezzi in Busseto
- Church of S.Maria degli Angeli
- Civic Museum
- Chiesa Collegiata di San Bartolomeo
- Oratorio della SS.Trinità
- Palazzo Orlandi
- Villa Verdi in S.Agata di Villanova sull'Arda province of Piacenza.
Note that every 27th January, the inhabitants of Busetto and the "Amici di Verdi" Association meet in front of the composers statue to remember him by singing "Va, pensiero", the famous aria from the opera 'Nabucco' writtne in 1842.
www.bussetolive.com
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