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Tickets can be bought over the phone, via the website, in person from the box office or a number of other outlets or by post, enclosing a bank draft and specifying the date of the performance, the seat sector and the number of tickets required. Tickets range in price from E17.50 (E14 for under 26s and the over 60s) for a seat on the Roman steps high above the stage, to E154 for a central seat near the action. In order to book online it is necessary to first register, though the process is fairly straightforward and there are instructions in English. Up until mid-June tickets are posted out. After this they must be collected from the box office in person. During performances various people squeeze down the rows renting cushions (E2.50, highly recommended in the cheap seats), and selling drinks and ice-creams, rather ineffective binoculars, programmes and librettos. Candles aren’t obligatory, but are traditional and add to the atmosphere, everyone lighting up just before the show begins. Librettos are also widely (and cheaply) available in English from local bookshops if you want to check up on the storyline beforehand. There is no dress code, but the more expensive seats tend to fill up with the most expensive suits and dresses. Performances start around 2100 and generally last three or four hours. To have a choice of seats in the unreserved higher tiers it may be necessary to turn up an hour and a half or so before. Bear in mind that on hot days the stone steps of the Arena get very hot and continue to radiate unwelcome heat long into the night. On such occasions seats on the east side (starting in sector ‘A’) are better than those opposite, where the sun leaves last, and where spectators can often be seen frantically waving fans. Most bars and restaurants around the Arena itself, especially those in piazza Bra, stay open late to catch the post-opera appetites, though given the sudden influx of people, booking ahead is advisable if you want a table.Many restaurants also open earlier than usual on opera days to cater for pre-opera eating.
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