The Most Beautiful Opera Arias
About an hour of Italian opera arias and Neapolitan songs, sung by opera soloists with a grand piano in a small Waldensian church near Piazza Venezia.
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Opera and Rome
Why Rome is a city to hear arias in
Two premieres at the Costanzi
Rome's opera house opened in 1880 as the Teatro Costanzi. Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana had its first performance there on 17 May 1890, and Puccini's Tosca followed on 14 January 1900. Tosca is set in Rome itself, so its arias were first heard in the city where the story takes place.
Rossini and Verdi on Roman stages
The Teatro Argentina staged the first Barber of Seville on 20 February 1816. Verdi's Il trovatore had its first night at the Teatro Apollo in Rome on 19 January 1853. A concert of arias in a Roman church is a small piece of a long local habit of hearing new Italian opera first.
A concert, not a staged opera
An aria is a self-contained piece for one voice, so it works without sets. The concert pairs opera soloists with a grand piano, and guests describe a pianist with a tenor and a soprano. Some expected an orchestra from the photos, so go for the voices and the room.
The libretto page
The arias an evening like this draws on
A libretto lists who sings what, and in which act. This page does the same for six pieces that Italian opera concerts of this kind return to, each with the composer and the story that sits behind it.
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Puccini · Turandot
Nessun dorma
Calaf, a tenor, sings it in Act 3 as he waits for dawn. Puccini died on 29 November 1924 with the opera unfinished; Franco Alfano completed it, and it was first performed at La Scala in Milan on 25 April 1926.
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Puccini · Tosca
Vissi d'arte
The singer Tosca, a soprano, sings it in Act 2, in Scarpia's rooms in the Palazzo Farnese. The opera is set in Rome in June 1800 and had its first performance at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
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Puccini · Tosca
E lucevan le stelle
Cavaradossi, a tenor, sings it in Act 3, on the upper levels of the Castel Sant'Angelo, in the hours before dawn.
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Verdi · Rigoletto
La donna è mobile
The Duke of Mantua, a tenor, sings it in Act 3. Rigoletto was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851; the censors forced the story's king to become a duke.
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Puccini · Gianni Schicchi
O mio babbino caro
Lauretta, a soprano, sings it. The one-act comedy is set in Florence in 1299 and had its first night at New York's Metropolitan Opera on 14 December 1918.
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Neapolitan song
'O sole mio
Written in 1898 with words by Giovanni Capurro, in Neapolitan. Guests on the booking page describe it, with other Neapolitan songs, among the pieces that bring a church audience to its feet.
Programmes vary by date and the organiser may alter them, so read these as the style of the evening rather than a promise of pieces.
The church
The church in four facts
The booking page describes a small Waldensian church just off Piazza Venezia, with the singers close to the front row. Rome's tourism board describes the Waldensian church in that part of the city, on Via Quattro Novembre. The ticket says the location can vary with the option you book, so your confirmation names your own venue.
- Between Via Nazionale and Piazza Venezia
- The tourism board places the Waldensian Evangelical Church at Via Quattro Novembre 107, in the Trevi district, and calls it the first place of worship the Waldensians built in Rome.
- Inaugurated in 1884
- The architect was Benedetto Pandolfi. The outside is neo-Romanesque; inside, the board describes a mix of neo-Renaissance, neoclassical and neo-Romanesque touches.
- One rectangular room
- A single hall with a coffered ceiling and two rows of mullioned windows. The stained glass carries symbols of the Waldensian Church and of the reformed churches of Scotland and the Netherlands.
- Built for sound as well as prayer
- The board cites the room's excellent acoustics, which let the church host concerts, and lists a pipe organ built in 1954. The arias concert uses a grand piano instead.
Opera and stone, across Rome
Rome in opera and in stone
The Waldensian church on Via Quattro Novembre, Sant'Andrea della Valle, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Costanzi auditorium, the opera house front, the Palazzo Farnese, the Vittoriano on Piazza Venezia and the church seen from the street.
Three opera evenings compared
Three opera evenings from the same organiser
| Evening | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Most Beautiful Opera Arias | About an hour of Italian opera arias and Neapolitan songs, sung by opera soloists with a grand piano in a small Waldensian church near Piazza Venezia. | Anyone who wants the great arias in one short, close-up concert. |
| Opera concert followed by dinner | The arias concert in the Waldensian church, then a set dinner at a restaurant in the centre. | Travellers who want the music and the meal planned as a single evening. |
| Opera show reimagining Freddie Mercury | About 50 minutes of Freddie Mercury's songs arranged for Italian opera singers and piano, in the organiser's own concert hall; guests describe tables with wine and snacks. | Queen fans, and couples who want a lighter, more playful take on opera. |
Opera evenings from the same organiser
Book an opera evening in Rome
The first card is the arias concert this guide covers. The second adds a set dinner at a restaurant after the music. The third is a different evening: songs by Freddie Mercury arranged for opera voices and piano. More Rome bookings sit in the strip underneath.
Opera concert followed by dinner
The arias concert in the Waldensian church, then a set dinner at a restaurant in the centre.
Check dates ↗Opera show reimagining Freddie Mercury
About 50 minutes of Freddie Mercury's songs arranged for Italian opera singers and piano, in the organiser's own concert hall; guests describe tables with wine and snacks.
Check dates ↗Also bookable in Rome
Plan the evening
Plan the evening
Find the right church
The Waldensians also have an Art Nouveau temple in Piazza Cavour, in the Prati district. The concert evenings described here point to the church near Piazza Venezia, on Via Quattro Novembre, so read the venue named in your confirmation before you set off.
Dates and start times
The booking calendar shows the dates and the start time for each one, and your confirmation repeats them. Choose the language you want before you pay. The programme can change between dates.
Getting there
Piazza Venezia is one of the main crossroads of central Rome, at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, and Via Nazionale runs close by. The church sits between the two, so the simplest approach is to walk the last stretch from either.
What to expect inside
A small hall, so the sound is close. One guest found the church very warm; another noted that the singers enter and leave by the main door. Another describes LED candles for light.
Cancelling and paying
Cancellation costs nothing up to 24 hours beforehand, and booking now to pay later is also an option, which suits anyone still arranging the rest of the week.
After the music
Piazza Venezia and the Altare della Patria, the Vittoriano monument to Italy's first king, are close by. The dinner option goes to a restaurant for a set meal; otherwise you can eat wherever suits you afterwards.
Guides to the arias, the church and the city
Guides to the arias, the church and the city
Which evening, and how to book Rome opera concert: how to choose
How to choose an opera concert in Rome: what the arias evening is, who sings, how it differs from the dinner and Mercury evenings, and what to check first.
Read the guide →
The evening, hour by hour Rome opera arias concert: what to expect
What an evening of opera arias in a small Rome church is like: the room, the voices, the pieces, the manners and the walk from Piazza Venezia.
Read the guide →- Opera born in Rome Opera premiered in Rome: Tosca and more Read the guide →
- The room behind the music Rome's Waldensian church, a concert room Read the guide →
- Songs from the south Neapolitan songs in an opera concert Read the guide →
- Opera for first-timers Opera for first-timers: arias and voices Read the guide →
FAQ
Before you book the arias evening
How long is the arias concert?
About an hour. The booking page gives 50 minutes in its details and 70 in its description, so allow an hour and check your confirmation for the start time.
Who performs?
Opera soloists with a grand piano. Guests describe a pianist, a tenor and a soprano rather than an orchestra, so the music is voices and keys.
Which arias will I hear?
The programme varies and the organiser can change it. The booking page names arias from Turandot and Rigoletto, Neapolitan songs, Vivaldi's Four Seasons and composers including Puccini, Bellini and Mascagni.
Where is the concert held?
In a Waldensian church a few steps from Piazza Venezia. The ticket says the location varies with the option, so your confirmation names the venue.
Is it a staged opera with costumes?
No. It is a concert of arias and songs in a church, with no sets. The attraction is the closeness of the voices.
Why is the church Protestant?
The Waldensians are a Protestant church with roots in 12th-century Lyon. Their church near Piazza Venezia was the first they built in Rome, and its acoustics suit concerts.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Cancellation is free until 24 hours before the start, with a complete refund through GetYourGuide, and reserving now to pay later is also possible.
Is there a dinner option?
Yes. A separate listing from the same organiser adds a set dinner at a restaurant after the concert.
Is this the opera house?
No. Rome's opera house is the Teatro dell'Opera, which runs its own staged productions. This concert is a small evening in a church.
About an hour of opera arias and Neapolitan songs with a grand piano, in a small Waldensian church near Piazza Venezia.
Reserve seats for the arias ↗Fares here are per adult and in US dollars; at booking GetYourGuide shows them in your own currency.