The Opera – La Fenice
Opera is to Venice as the NFL is to the U.S. - a spectacle to see and a place to be seen.
Opera is to Venice as the NFL is to the U.S. - a spectacle to see and a place to be seen.
In the 18th century Venice had seven opera houses. La Fenice (Gran Teatro alla Fenice) was the largest and one of the most famous in Europe. In 1996 a fire (Arson? Probably, but by whom?) destroyed the interior. It was restored and re-opened in 2003. The interior is magnificent, but over the top for my tastes - but so is opera.
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Proper dress required. Enjoy the show. Click on picture on the right. 
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John Behrendt (the author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) has written a great book about the fire, and the politics of re-building La Fenice and assigning guilt - The City of Falling Angels. It is also a great portrait of the politics of Venice. One intriguing line from the book, spoken by a citizen of Venice: “Never believe anything a Venetian tells you.”
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