RONCOLE VERDI

Located about 3 miles southeast of Busseto, this small town is known as Giueseppe Verdi’s birthplace. The artist was born in a simple home that once contained the small osteria operated by Giuseppe’s father. It has since become a tourist destination. The nearby church of San Michele, built in the 16th and 17th centuries, is also tied to the musician’s fame. Inside the three-naved church, one can see the baptismal font where Verdi was baptized and the old organ that the Verdi practiced on as a child.

BUSSETO

Busseto is an important agricultural center in the bassa parmense. It is a small city, rich in history and tradition. Originally Carolingian, the city was the capital of the small state of the Pallavicino for a long time. In the 16th century, the city finally became a part of the dukedom of the Farnese family. However, in the 15th century, at the height of the city’s glory, the city was covered with statues and, in 1533, Charles V conferred a title on the city. The center part of the city still has the ancient city plan that extends out from the main street, via Roma. The road is lined with porticos and the city’s main historic buildings. Here is where Giuseppe Verdi lived for a long time.

Piazza Giuseppe Verdi

Outlined by the Rocca, San Bartolomeo and the Palazzo del Comune, Piazza Giuseppe Verdi is home to a monument dedicated to the musician in 1913, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. The piazza is located in the history center of the city that dates back to the 12th century.

The Rocca, or castle, was built around 1250 and was expanded in the 15th century when the six circular towers were added. It was completely remodeled in the 19th century in the neo-gothic style. There are two crenellated towers, a 16th century clock tower in the center and a beautifully decorated portico. Inside the Rocca, you can find the municipal offices and the Verdi theater, built inside a preexisting theater and inaugurated in 1868 with Rigoletto e Un ballo in maschera. Here, Arturo Toscanini directed the fantastic 100th anniversary season in 1913 with Falstaff and La traviata.

Salone Barezzi

Along via Roma, you will fine the house of Antonio Barezzi, a music-loving grocer from Busseto who discovered Giuseppe Verdi’s talent and was one of his main benefactors. In the living room on the first floor of his home, the young composer received his first music lessons. The building is now the headquarters of the Friends of Verdi Association. The room itself has been restored and all of the original interior was kept, including the Vienese Tomaschek piano, purchased by Barezzi around 1835. Verdi played on this piano for many years. He used it to compose the opera I Due Foscari (1844) and practiced on it during the last days of Barezzi’s life. In the adjoining rooms, you will find a permanent exhibition of Verdi memorabilia gathered for the 100th anniversary of Verdi’s death in 2001.

Collegiata di San Bartolomeo

The collegiate church of San Bartolomeo is located along the eastern side of piazza Verdi. The church was built between 1437 and 1450 on the remains of the 14th century church of San Nicolò. The church was remodeled in the 18th century. Facing the gothic façade, one can see the Renaissance-style doorway with clay decorations, a rose window and a plaque from 1584 commemorating the meeting of Pope Paul III and Emperor Charles V in Busseto in 1542. The interior is decorated with elegant Rococo stucco-work. From the right nave, you can access the oratory of the Holy Trinity, built in the 12th century. Here, Giuseppe Verdi married Margherita Barezzi on May 4, 1836.

Palazzo Orlandi

Palazzo Orlandi was built in the neoclassical style by Giuseppe Cavalli, an architect and painter from Busseto. Cavalli was also responsible for all of the interior design of the palace. Verdi purchased the building in 1845 and lived here from 1849 to 1951 with Giuseppina Strepponi, after the death of his first wife Margherita. In this house, Verdi composed Luisa Miller, Stiffelio and Rigoletto. His father, Carlo Verdi, died in the home in January 1867. Inside the property, one can admire the period furniture, autographs and objects from both Verdi and Arturo Toscanini’s lives. Toscanini was a great orchestra director who stayed in Palazzo Orlandi from 1913 to 1926 during the Verdi concerts at the theater of Busseto.

Monte di Pietà

The Monte was an institution that functioned as a credit bank and a benefactor of cultural programs, including the city’s music school, the musical choir of the Collegiata di San Bartolomeo, a gym teacher’s fund and scholarships based on merit and financial need. Giuesppe Verdi was the recipient of such a scholarship, allowing him to finish his musical composition classes in Milan for three years. Once he was established in his career, Verdi made donations to the Monte in thanks for their generous support. The historic building houses a rich library, rooms with the original furniture, and the Monte and Pallavicino archives. Here, you can also find the original manuscript announcing the creation of the Philharmonic of Busseto, the organization of amateur musicians that Verdi participated in as a boy and later directed after returning from Milan. There is also a large collection of books about Verdi.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

At the edge of the city, there is a gothic Franciscan complex, built between 1470 and 1474 thanks to the Pallavicino family. From the outside, you can admire the nice portal with a terracotta frieze and polygonal apses. The most important work of art held inside Santa Maria degli Angeli is the Compianto su Cristo morto, a group of terracotta figures grieving over Christ’s death. The sculptures were made in 1476 and 1477 by Guido Mazzoni and are on display in the left nave. Verdi visited this place both as a boy and as an adult. He held an organ concert here in 1836 for the celebration of the Epiphany, during the period when the church was looking to name someone the Master of the Chapel. In 1908, the organ was given to the Church of Trevozzo Valtidone.

VILLANOVA D'ARDA (PC) – VILLA VERDI

This is the villa that Giuseppe Verdi purchased in 1848 and decorated personally. The interior design and the park reflect the strong character of a man who liked to define himself as part of the country folk of Roncole. The rooms on the ground floor of the villa are still in tact and contain some of the original furniture. This is where Verdi lived, surrounded by his objects and memories. Here, one can see the pool table Verdi played on, his living room and images of the bedroom in the Grand Hôtel et de Milan where the musician died on January 27, 1901. There is also a music library and pianos that Verdi used while composing Rigoletto and Aida. There are also photos, objects and souvenirs from his journeys. Surrounding the villa, there is a large English garden, with the graves of the family dogs, many rare plants, a lake, and sculptures by Venetian artist Giuseppe Torretti, which came from the Villa Pallavicino in Busseto. The entire complex is extremely interesting and full of historical information, giving visitors the sensation that Verdi could appear at any moment.