Entertainment

Opera Verona is a city which offers both its residents and visitors many forms of entertainment: from activities of a cultural nature, to more simple pleasures; from evocative operatic performances at the Arena, to drinking sessions in elegant bars in the historic city center. The Arena—an ancient Roman amphitheatre—is the scene of international performances during the opera, ballet and musical season which takes place every year.

Symphony During the winter, the Philharmonic Theatre puts on magnificent symphonic concerts, operas and operettas as well as other performances with artists who are more used to performing in other fields e.g. the recent performance of Antonio Albanese in "Giù al Nord." The Teatro Estravagario specializes in cabaret (most recently hosting Paolo Rossi), dance performances (e.g. a tango company from Buenos Aires) and pop concerts. The Teatro Camploy is also host to cabaret and musical performances.

Theatre The Veronesi are also fervent theatre-goers: both in winter and summer. There are always performances in the Teatro Romano, and in winter, performances are put on at the Teatro Nuovo, which hosts well-known theatre companies putting on two different types of performance: light theatre (e.g. by Daniele Luttazzi, Enzo Iacchetti, Cochi and Renato), and performances with a slightly heavier subject matter. Some of the latest performances in this category have included those by Gianrico Tedeschi, Turi Ferro, Anna Proclemer and Glauco Mauri.

Cafes & Bars Cafes and bars offer an alternative form of entertainment. There are many of these all over the city, but the most frequented ones tend to be in the historic city centre: the Caffè delle Erbe, (commonly known as the Mazzanti) is definitely one of the most popular spots, both due to its location (on the Piazza delle Erbe, by the ancient Roman forum) and due to the trendiness of its clientele who like nothing better than to sit outside in the summer sipping aperitifs with big groups of friends, listening to (occasionally live) music. Nearby, there is also the Campidoglio (situated on the sight of the ancient Roman Campodoglio, or Capitol). This pretty cafe is situated in a small piazza which, weather permitting, has lots of visitors. The Rivamancina is also very popular—people come here for bassotti, beer and a variety of cocktails. Other good drinking holes are the Vecia Veronetta—a tavern which is open until 4a and the Mascheron, which is situated on the beautiful Piazza San Zeno. This place is packed to the rafters both in summer and in winter, but if you can't squeeze in, theres always the piazza! The bar with the most beautiful view has got to be the Bar al Ponte, beside the Pietra bridge (the oldest in Verona) which has a delightful little terrace overlooking the Adige river and the Teatro Romano. As you leave the city center area, which is usually very lively and packed, especially at the weekends, you will find the Cà Lupa bar, where you can have a drink and a snack (and be as loud as you want—no one will mind!) and listen to music: Latin on Friday nights, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with a DJ on Saturday nights and live music during the summer.

Nightclubs A rundown of Verona's bars and cafes could go on forever, so we will now move on to nightclubs. Indisputably the most famous of these, is the Alter Ego, which is well-known for its music, the ones that have been around the longest are Berfi's and l'Excalibur—these are slightly more commercial, but still really good venues. Queen, in the city center, is always packed at the weekend.