A pilgrimage fulfilled.

Note to Robin Rilette: I saw him first!!!!!

Oh my stars. I almost passed out. La Scala's been my dream visit since I was a teenage opera geek. Here I am, in the La Scala Museum with the bust of my beloved Puccini. There was also an opportunity for me to go into one of the legendary boxes to have a peek, but no pictures were allowed. The red velvet lining those boxes is so lush. Tomorrow night I'll be watching Massenet's "Manon", but not from the boxes, sadly. As expensive as tickets are here, they cover only ten percent of the costs. The Italian government finances the rest.

Even the stairway going up to the theater was an experience, with posters right out of opera history.



And below is a picture of our listeners Sylvia, Barbara, Beverly and John with the bust of another La Scala legend, Maestro Arturo Toscanini. He controlled every aspect of the theater's operation, including the choice of coffee beans used in the intermission beverage!