Acis et Galatée, the themed itinerary and the opera at the Teatro del Maggio

  • Up to 14 Participants
  • Available in: Italian, English

What you will find

06/7/22, fourth exclusive appointment of MaggioMusicArt:

the love story of Acis et Galatée told on the little boat of the Renaioli and the opera at the Teatro del Maggio. This product is only available on Destination Florence and has limited places.

FULL PROGRAM

Before attending the opera at the Teatro del Maggio in Florence, in the company of a qualified and expert guide, you will go down the Arno river aboard a small boat of the Renaioli for a short journey through the city on the strip of water that from boarding to Piazza Mentana leads to the Ponte Santa Trinita passing under the Ponte Vecchio. The lapping of the water will serve as a background to tell the poetic story of the nymph Galatea, of her love for the shepherd boy Aci opposed by the monstrous Cyclops Polyphemus.

WALKING TOUR: starts at 5.00 pm

Your boat trip on the Arno river with an expert and qualified guide, lasting approximately one hour, will be an unusual and fascinating opportunity to introduce the theme of the opera staged at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theater after the itinerary. driven.

Under the arches of the bridges that go from Piazza Mentana to Ponte Santa Trinita you will hear the story of the love of the sea nymph Galatea for the shepherd boy Aci, of the jealousy of the Cyclops Polyphemus who killed Aci and who, in doing so, obtained only the desperate cry of Galatea. The pitiful gods transformed those tears into a small river that from the Etna volcano poured into the sea in the arms of the nymph: a myth told by Ovid and masterfully transformed into a pastoral symphony by Lulli.

You will not only hear about myths, but also about the importance of the Arno river over the centuries for the development of the city of Florence which drew life, nourishment and energy from its waters. A love that of Florence for its river that not even the wounds left by the dramatic floods that have occurred over time have had the strength to extinguish. Just as the body of Aci torn apart by Polyphemus, he left intact and immortal the love of Galatea for the little shepherd.

FREE TIME: from 6.00pm to 8.00pm

At the end of the tour you will have two hours of fre time to dine and prepare for the show at the Teatro del Maggio. We remind you that it is possible to dine directly at the restaurant of the Teatro del Maggio.

OPERA: starts at 8.00pm

Acis et Galatée, an opera in three acts plus a prologue to a libretto by Jean Galbert de Campistron, is Jean-Baptiste Lully's last completed work. After decades dedicated to the tragédie lyrique, a genre he himself inaugurated, in 1686 Lully concluded his long theatrical career with a pastorale-héroïque, an intermediate genre that combined divine and mortal characters, nobles and shepherds on the stage, commissioned by the Duke of Vendôme to pay homage to the Dauphin of France as a guest in the castle of Anet.

The libretto is inspired by the legend of Aci and Galatea described in book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The shepherd Aci loves, in return, the nymph of the waters Galatea, but also the monstrous Cyclops Polyphemus loves the nymph and seeing himself rejected kills Aci out of jealousy, crushing him under a rock. However, thanks to the intervention of the god Neptune, Aci will be brought back to life and transformed into a river. The work received the applause of the public right from the start, entering by right into the history of French musical theater.

PLEASE NOTE: at the time of purchase you can choose between two different types of sector of the Teatro del Maggio: sector A, seats close to the stage, or sector C, standard seats. Choose the option you prefer. Following the purchase, to finalize the reservation, you will be contacted by us to issue a regular invoice.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • Expert and licensed guide
  • Boat tour with introduction to the opera
  • Opera ticket (in the sector chosen at the time of purchase)

YOUR GUIDE 

This experience is provided by Destination Florence, in collaboration with the Teatro del Maggio and AGT Firenze is the Association of Official Tourist Guides of Florence and its Province.


NOTE

You can collect opera tickets by showing the voucher, directly at the Teatro del Maggio box office before the show, giving the name of the person who bought the package.



Keep reading

Info / Important details

CANCELLATION POLICY: The package is non-refundable. In case of cancellation / postponement of the date by the Theater, we will proceed with a refund or postponement to a new date.

  • Type: semi private tour
  • Conditions: minimum 2 people, minimum age 6 years
  • Accessibility: not accessible with wheelchair
  • Duration: 60 minutes boat tour + the opera
  • Voucher: digital and / or printed
  • Language: English and Italian
  • Pets: no

Where / Meeting point

Piazza Mentana - 50122 Firenze (FI)