Busseto is a municipality in the plains surrounding Parma, famous for being the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi, who maintained a close link with his hometown for his entire life. Two hundred years after Verdi’s birth, Busseto is still a centre for opera activity, in homage to the great maestro.

The historic centre of Busseto was illuminated by Neri in 1991, with ‘Light 800’ lanterns in cast brass. Today, the same lanterns, which were previously equipped with sodium vapor lamps, were refitted with an LED kit designed specifically by Neri, and the city has taken on a different appearance, a much warmer and more welcoming one compared to the previous sodium-vapor light sources. This presentation illustrates the city’s new night-time appearance.

PIAZZA GIUSEPPE VERDI

The square, named after Giuseppe Verdi, still maintains its fifteenth-century rectangular layout and is overlooked by the bronze monument erected in 1913. Marking 100 years since his birth, it depicts the maestro watching over the town, sat quietly on a bench.

Behind Verdi’s monument stands the fortress, now the seat of the Town Hall, built in the 11th century by the Pallavicino marquis, lords of Busseto. The fortress was rebuilt several times over the centuries, until its reconstruction in neo-Gothic style between 1857 and 1868, which incorporated a significant part of the original castle. At an angle to the square stands the Collegiate Church of St. Bartholomew, built in Gothic-style brick.

VILLA PALLAVICINO

Constructed in Renaissance style in 1518, the villa was the summer residence of the Pallavicino marquis. Now owned by the Municipality of Busseto, in 2009, it became the seat for the Giuseppe Verdi National Museum. In its 22 rooms, the museum recreates the original backdrops from each of the 27 operas written by Verdi, enriched by reproductions of the original stage clothing and by the maestro’s music.