Symphonic music, chamber music concerts, outdoor rock concerts. From Giuseppe Verdi to Gaetano Donizetti, from Luciano Pavarotti to Luciano Ligabue.
A long musical tradition characterises these cities full of art; it also includes contemporary music, through its most significant interpreters and prestigious venues.

A varied programme full of events awaits all kinds of audience, from amateurs to passionate followers.
In Lombardy, Bergamo is immediately associated to Gaetano Donizetti. The house where he was born can be visited in Borgo Canale; the theatre dedicated to him in 1897, to celebrate 100 years from his birth, organises important events. For example Bergamo Jazz, the international Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo, Bergamo Musica Festival Gaetano Donizetti. In Brescia, Teatro Grande offers music and much more, as it is also an important national monument. The theatre, in Neoclassical style designed by Luigi Canonica, has a horse-shoe shape and five series of circular balconies with frescoed small loggias with stucco and golden decorations. Since the end of the 19th century it has hosted the most prestigious opera concerts of Italian history.

In Monza, the musical scene is just as prestigious: every year there is Musica Antica in Villa Reale, a series of events with several appointments that offer a taste of memorable pieces in the history of Baroque, Pre-Classicism and Classicism in Italy and Europe. Music pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Sammartini, Haydn, Mozart reecho in Teatrino di Corte, a small and beautiful theatre with only 120 seats; or in the Sala degli Specchi, with decorations by Albertolli. In Lodi the main theatre is Teatro alle Vigne, which was the canonical church of the Umiliati order; it was passed on to the Barnabites, who transformed it into a Theology, Moral, and Philosophy college. After numerous changes in the purposes of the building, and a radical set of renovating works, since 1985 it has hosted theatrical shows, from operetta to cabaret.

Teatro Fraschini in Pavia also offers a top-quality programme. Built in the 18th century, its name comes from a tenor born in Pavia and specialised in Verdi's operas: Gaetano Fraschini. He was the most famous tenor at the time the Municipality of Pavia bought the theatre in 1869. Many well-known people stopped by to see a performance: empress Josephine de Beauharnais (wife to Napoleon I), the Austrian emperor Francis I and his wife empress Maria Luisa, but also composers such as Niccolò Paganini, Pietro Mascagni, and Arturo Toscanini.

Cremona is where music lovers meet. Don't miss the Stradivari itinerary, to see some of the instruments built by the master, and by some of his collaborators. Among the 1,200 pieces built throughout Stradivari's life, those we can see today are considered valuable pieces of lutherie worldwide. The visit includes Casa Stradivari, where he used to live and work, Stanze per la Musica, where you can see Carlo Alberto Carutti collection, Piazza Stradivari - which bears the master's name - and Piazza Roma with his tomb. Palazzo Pallavicino Ariguzzi houses the prestigious Antonio Stradivari international school of lutherie (ISS), and the brand new Museo del Violino.

Moving south to Emilia Romagna, Piacenza has Teatro Municipale, a splendid example of late-18th century architecture. Even Stendhal, while visiting the city, wrote that Teatro Municipale was "among the most beautiful, actually the most beautiful theatre in Italy". Since 1804 the theatre has hosted performances by the major artists of all times. Since December 2004 it has housed Orchestra Giovanile "Luigi Cherubini" directed by Riccardo Muti. It is nonetheless Parma that attracts the most important music lovers in the region. Here you can see the places where Arturo Toscanini and Giuseppe Verdi lived; in 2013 several events celebrated 200 years from the birth of the latter. His house is in Roncole, a small country village near Busseto which became a national monument in 1901. Here you can visit Palazzo Orlandi, where the Maestro lived with Giuseppina Strepponi, and Teatro Verdi.
In Parma, Teatro Regio pays homage to the musician. It was built upon the wish of Duchess Maria Louise, second wife to Napoleone Bonaparte, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza. In Modena there are two theatres: Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti and Teatro Storchi. The former was designed by Francesco Vandelli, court architect at the service of Francis IV (Austria-Este), and inaugurated in 1841. Adeodato Malatesta painted the magnificent curtain that still decorates the proscenium. If Teatro Comunale is dedicated to opera, concerts and ballet, Teatro Storchi is for plays. Built in 1886 on a project by architect Maestri, it symbolised the rising bourgeois culture of that time.

In Reggio Emilia there are three main theatres, all overlooking the same square: Teatro Municipale "Romolo Valli", built in 1857, which hosts mainly opera (Pavarotti debuted here), concerts and ballet; Teatro Ariosto, named after the author of Orlando Furioso, which hosts mainly plays; and Teatro Cavallerizza "Cesare Zavattini", which hosts contemporary performances. The programme of events is particularly rich: "Premio Paolo Borciani, Quartetto Internazionale per Quartetto d'Archi" is a competition that takes place at Teatro Valli, whereas Fondazione Nazionale della Danza Aterballetto is located in the former Fonderia Lombardini, so as to emphasise the bond between ballet and the city. Another important venue for concerts is Campovolo.