Day 18 and the Traviata Report

I was promised that "La Traviata" would impress me more than any other opera on this trip. There was so much anticipation for this one opera, and in fact, I heard some of the ladies in our group talking about wearing extra nice outfits because it's "La Traviata." Well, Gramma hated it. She said the stage director deserved to be shot. I have to admit, I found the opera pretty entertaining (it even included some burlesque, Philip!) but even more entertaining were the hot discussions and debates among the members of our group during the intermissions. Some loved it, some hated it. And hashing it all out is the fun part! At the second intermission, a New Yorker sitting in front of me turned around and said, "Is the opera over?" And I had to say, "No, of course not. Nobody has died yet."
I'm still learning a lot on this trip. Today we visited Verdi's birthplace, and then his beautiful villa where he lived for 50 years in his adult life. I'm gradually connecting the dots between this man, the music, the cultural contexts--Italian culture, and opera culture. Verdi was born in 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars, and died in 1901, only 10 years before Gramma was born! I just thought it would be fun to use "Verdi," "Napoleon," and "Gramma" all in one sentence.
We ate lunch at the hotel/restaurant that Carlo Bergonzi owns (I'm opera name-dropping now. I'm so hip.) and in fact, he lives there too. Soon after we sat down at our big table for ten, he came into the dining room to eat his lunch. Gramma and a few others in our group were so excited to meet him. Gramma reminded him of his performances with Dorothy, and he remembered well. He was very kind to all of us, especially considering we were holding him back from eating the incredible food at this place. I think that'll be one of this trip's highlights for Gramma.
We just arrived in Milan this afternoon, and we're going to La Scala to see, unfortunately, a ballet. I say "unfortunately" to reflect the attitudes of the real serious opera fans on this trip (G'ma included). They're all thrilled to go to the famous opera house, but just a little let down that it's only a ballet we'll get to see there. Still, Gramma's planning on wearing her fanciest jacket, just for La Scala. I'm learning that the best-loved operas will "up" the dress code, as will the most prestigious (or legendary?) opera houses.