Verdi and his Land

An itinerary through the Roncole-Busseto-Sant’Agata triangle. Printed in honour of the first centenary of Giuseppe Verdi’s death, this volume celebrates the places where the renowned composer was born and spent most of his life. By birth and disposition a man of the Parma plain known as the “Bassa”, Verdi maintained a steadfast love-hate relationship with his native land, which expressed itself in his constant yet disdainfully secluded presence. Following in his footsteps, the book explores places as little-known as they are fascinating, also thanks to the rule of the Pallavicino family – who renovated Busseto’s religious and lay buildings and gave the town an artistic splendour that is still unrivalled – between the 15th and 16th centuries. Busseto’s main square, churches, theatre and library parade through the pages of the volume, which ends with a section on the more rural and less urban landscapes of Roncole and Sant’Agata, among which Verdi liked to retire.