Aida

On 20 July 2025, at 9 p.m., the heart of the Royal Bourbon Foundries of Mongiana, in the Serre Regional Park, will be transformed into an exceptional stage for a unique event: Giuseppe Verdi's “Aida” will be performed among the ruins of the ancient Bourbon steelworks, now a symbol of Calabrian industrial archaeology.

This extraordinary event is promoted by the Festival del Mediterraneo and the Festival Lirico dei Teatri di Pietra, bringing grand opera to one of the most evocative and least explored places in Calabria for the first time.

The timeless charm of Aida, an opera in four acts with libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, will blend with the natural scenery of the foundries, offering the audience an immersive experience of music, myth and memory. The characters of Verdi's opera will be brought to life by a top-notch international cast: Pumeza Matshikiza as Aida, Walter Fraccaro as Radamès, Veronica Simeoni as Amneris, Badral Chuluunbaatar as Amonasro, alongside Sultonbek Abdurakhimov, Deyan Vatchkov, Federico Parisi and Leonora Ilieva. Mirko Musco will conduct the Coro Lirico Siciliano and the Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria in a production of great musical rigour and scenic impact, enriched by the world premiere of Anselm Gerhard's critical edition, which includes the unpublished “Palestrinian” chorus from Act III.