Opera at La Scala

Day 1 London to Milan, Italy.

Fly by scheduled flight. Arrive this afternoon and transfer to the Rosa Grand Milano Hotel for a four night stay. Settle into your room before meeting for dinner at the hotel this evening. (D)

Day 2 Milan & La Scala.

This morning we take a walking tour to discover more of this fascinating city. Visit the Duomo, which at 157 metres long is one of the largest Catholic churches in the world. Construction began in 1386 and took five centuries to complete. There will also be an option to take the stairs to the duomo’s huge rooftop terrace, which affords spectacular views of the city and the duomo’s roof sculptures. Later we will walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, designed in the 19th century and now home to a huge array of upscale shops and restaurants. We end at the Museum of La Scala which houses instruments including Franz Liszt’s grand piano as well as portraits of Guiseppe Verdi whose long career began here in 1839. After lunch we return to the hotel and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. (B, L)

Day 3 Castello Sforzesco, Pinaconteca di Brera.

After breakfast at the hotel enjoy a tour to two of the city’s highlights, Castello Sforzesco and the Pinacoteca di Brera. Originally built as a fortress in the 14th century, the iconic brick-red Castello Sforzesco became home to the powerful Sforza dynasty who ruled Renaissance Milan and oversaw the reconstruction of the building which had been seriously damaged between 1447 and 1450. The castle’s defences, designed by Leonardo da Vinci, were largely demolished during the period of Napoleonic rule, and the complex was transferred to civic use following the unification of Italy in the 19th century. We will also see Michaelangelo’s “Pieta Rondanini”, a marble sculpture from 1552. A short walk brings us to the impressive Pinacoteca di Brera, home to over 400 works dating from the 14th to the 20th centuries by master painters such as Piero della Francesca, Raphael, and Caravaggio. After lunch the afternoon is free before we meet in the early evening for an aperitif and snacks before walking to the Teatro alla Scala for a performance of Puccini’s ‘Turandot’. (B, L, D*)

Day 4 Cremona.

Following breakfast at the hotel we will drive to Cremona, a city rich in Medieval architecture and famous for its violin-making traditions which were added to the UNESCO list in 2012. Visit the impressive Violin Museum which takes visitors through Cremona’s five-century history of violin making, introducing them to the great masters and their violins, including the famous Antonio Stradivari. Explore Cremona’s beautiful historic centre, including the Piazza Stradivari, the Piazza del Comune, Cathedral and the Torrazzo which at 112 metres is the tallest brick belfry in the world. Visit a modern violin-making workshop where a master luthier demonstrates all the stages in the construction of a violin in the classic Cremona method. Following some free time for lunch we will return to Milan for an afternoon at leisure before we meet for dinner tonight. (B, D)

Day 5 Milan to London.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight to London. (B)