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22 April 2021 The mayor of Verona, Federico Sboarina, writes to the parliamentarians of his city to intervene to save the Arena season, already organized, and which with the new rules should be completely rescheduled one month after the start, with very serious economic damage for the city and for the related industries.
"I bring to your attention, both in my capacity as Mayor and President of the Arena di Verona Foundation, the problem of the 'opening' of the Arena Amphitheater and its 'capacity' in anticipation of the start of the next opera and extra-opera season - Sboarina writes in the letter - In fact, the draft of the Law Decree relating to the 'reopening' starting from April 26th provides for a capacity of the theaters not exceeding 50% (of the maximum authorized) and the maximum number of spectators cannot however be more than 1,000 for outdoor shows. Furthermore, it keeps the so-called 'curfew' from 22.00 to 5.00 ".
"It is clear that with these limitations - he continues - it will be necessary to review the entire Arena programming for the summer of 2021 which foresees for the extra lyric, as the first event on June 5, 2021, the performance of '' Il Volo '' broadcast also by an important American television station with more than 90 million viewers, while the premiere of the opera season with Verdi's 'Aida' conducted by Maestro Riccardo Muti has been set for June 19, 2021. Both concerts, according to the established protocol ( but not yet approved) in agreement with the Undersecretary of Culture Hon.Lucia Borgonzoni already submitted to the Ministry of Culture to the Scientific Technical Committee and to the Veneto Region, would provide for a public presence of 6,000 people (with last year's protocol 3.000 opera spectators and 4,500 non-opera spectators) ".
"From the draft of the Law Decree - underlines Sboarina - it appears that the maximum number of 1,000 spectators can only be expanded by the Conference of the Regions, that is, by an agreement between all the Presidents of the Regions and no longer only the Region in which the theater is located" .
"About a month after the start of the Arena season (opera and extra opera) - continues the mayor - it is not possible to change the ambitious program already prepared in every detail
and on which the organizational machine has already started (ticket office, cast, set-ups etc ...), if not with a very serious economic damage for the city and for the related activities that revolve around the concerts, also penalized by the maintenance of the 'curfew' . Therefore, I ask you (and I know I can count on your sensitivity and attention to the City) to be an active part in all the appropriate locations, in order to allow the next Arena season, as already planned for some time, to take place in the interest of the Veronese community and beyond ".