After extended stays in Rome, Florence and Venice, I spent my last , sunny day in Italy in Bologna, best known for its friendly vibe and incredible food, usually served in monster portions.  But, Bologna also has a proud musical history, dating back to the founding of the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna in 1666, Italy's leading association of professional musicians, which once claimed as members Rossini,  Verdi, Boito, Brahms, Wagner, Puccini, Liszt, and Busoni. In 1763, Gluck was invited to open the nearby Teatro Comunale with one of his operas; the theater has been in continuous use ever since. Among the many important events to have taken place there were the premiere of Verdi's Luisa Miller and the Italian premiere of Wagner's Lohengrin, his first great success in Italy.

Equally famous is the Music Conservatory, founded in 1804 and directed for a time by Gioachino Rossini, who was also one of it's first graduates.  Adjacent to the conservatory is the new and ambitiously named International Museum and Library of Music, formed primarily from the extraordinary collection of Franciscan priest Giuseppe Martini (1706-1784), who was one of the most important composers of his day, despite the fact that he never left his cloistered cell. Included among his treasures are the first score printed from moveable type (1501) and numerous handwritten scores. The collection has since expanded to include an impressive selection of composers' portraits and musical instruments, many of which are unique.

The final room of the museum is devoted to Rossini, and includes his Playel piano, chair, cape and wig. In a case nearby, almost  as an afterthought, was the autograph score of Il Barbiere di Siviglia (1816). Elsewhere in the library, they also have the autograph of La Cenerentola and numerous other important manuscripts, which would have been great to see had I not had to catch my flight back to JFK.

(Rossini's tomb at Santa Croce Church, Florence)

All in all, an incredible 10 days in Italy, filled with wonders of all kinds: art, history, nature, food - and especially music. For me, it was an eye-opening experience to learn that the Italian musical tradition is about much more than just opera, and that it is not at all living in the past, fully embracing composers like Stockhausen and providing foward-thinking venues like Florence's Fabbrica Europa, a month-long arts festival held in an abandoned train station just outside the city center. Among their offerings while I was in town was a multi-media presentation by the Balanescu Quartet (pictured), an ensemble that seems to be Europe's answer to the Kronos Quartet, followed by a free DJ set. My Italian may not be very good, but everyone there that night was speaking the same language.