Tosca in Venice: A High Note Society Overture

The High Note Society’s latest adventure with Discover My Italy began in storybook fashion. On September 1, 2025, travelers arrived in Venice, Italy and were whisked by private transfer, arriving by boat at the elegant Hotel Splendid, just steps from St. Mark’s Square. As twilight settled over the city, we were welcomed by Discover My Italy’s Giovanna Chiti. It was a gorgeous evening on the hotel’s rooftop terrace overlooking the city, where we enjoyed a festive aperitivo. Glasses of Bellinis, Spritzes, prosecco, and more sparkled against a backdrop of canals and tiled rooftops. New friendships took shape as laughter and conversation mingled with the evening air, before we headed to the hotel’s warmly inviting courtyard dining area.

The following morning revealed “The Soul of Venice.” Our spectacular guide, Isabella, led a captivating walking tour through Campo Santo Stefano and lively artisan workshops. The sumptuous textiles at the famous Rubelli shop tempted nearly everyone into purchasing something special. We crossed the Accademia Bridge for sweeping views of the Grand Canal, paused at the Squero di San Trovaso gondola yard, and savored delicious cicchetti at a local bacaro. A sweet finale awaited at Gelateria Da Nico, where we sampled their famed gianduiotto gelato along the Zattere waterfront — an essential stop for anyone exploring Venice on an opera tour.

With some free time, a few guests continued shopping, others enjoyed lunch, while I indulged in a gondola ride with friends — a memorable way to see Venice from the water. Our gondolier, dressed in classic stripes, shared fascinating stories about La Serenissima, even pointing out the house where Casanova once lived.

After an afternoon rest, I presented a talk on Puccini’s Tosca, highlighting its political intrigue, passionate arias, and Puccini’s evolution of the opera heroine. That evening we gathered at Restaurant Antico Martini for a convivial dinner before strolling across the piazza to Teatro La Fenice, one of opera’s most storied stages and a must for anyone seeking the ultimate Tosca at La Fenice experience.

Is there a more beautiful theater than La Fenice? Its intimacy draws you into the drama, while its acoustics make you feel as though you’re inside a perfectly tuned surround-sound hall. Inside the gilded jewel box, Tosca unfolded in all its intensity. Chiara Isotton’s Tosca and Riccardo Massi’s Cavaradossi were sung with beauty, power, and vocal security - their chemistry lending rare authenticity to the pair. Veteran baritone Roberto Frontali brought a wonderfully subtle menace to Scarpia, while conductor Daniele Rustioni savored every nuance and color in Puccini’s great score. Experiencing Puccini in Venice — in the very city where so many of his contemporaries thrived — felt like stepping inside operatic history.

As we strolled back to the hotel beneath moonlit colonnades, Venice shimmered with the same magic that has drawn composers, poets, and artists for centuries. It was the perfect overture to a week devoted to music, culture, and camaraderie.