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Photos: In Milan’s Casa Verdi, retired musicians enjoy ‘grand finale’

Created in December 1899 by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi for musicians who found themselves poverty-stricken in old age, Verdi himself acknowledged it "the most beautiful work" of his life. Nearly 120 years later, the retirement home still hosts, in a sumptuous area of central Milan, about sixty residents who have dedicated their lives to music. Casa Verdi is run by the Giuseppe Verdi Foundation.

Updated on: Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM IST

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Nearly 120 years after Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi called it his “most beautiful work”, ageing musicians still play out their days at his Casa Verdi retirement home. Piano music resonates down the corridors of the sumptuous Milan palazzo, while a singer performs in the vast main room for dozens of pensioners, who were once professional musicians themselves. (Miguel Medina / AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Nearly 120 years after Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi called it his “most beautiful work”, ageing musicians still play out their days at his Casa Verdi retirement home. Piano music resonates down the corridors of the sumptuous Milan palazzo, while a singer performs in the vast main room for dozens of pensioners, who were once professional musicians themselves. (Miguel Medina / AFP)

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A general view of the Verdi Crypt at “Casa Verdi”. With around 60 residents who have all dedicated their lives to music, the sound of music in one form or another is everywhere. “This place is paradise,” says Marisa Terzi, 79, who arrived four months ago. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

A general view of the Verdi Crypt at “Casa Verdi”. With around 60 residents who have all dedicated their lives to music, the sound of music in one form or another is everywhere. “This place is paradise,” says Marisa Terzi, 79, who arrived four months ago. (AFP)

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Marisa Terzi at Casa Verdi. Terzi moved in because she says she had “no more family”. “For me, music is everything, and I didn’t expect to find such a fantastic place. It’s everything but a rest home! It’s a holiday home,” she laughed. “Time flies... in the morning there’s a pianist, and everyone comes to listen, even those in wheelchairs. We all sing together, it’s so beautiful, and then there are concerts all afternoon.” (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Marisa Terzi at Casa Verdi. Terzi moved in because she says she had “no more family”. “For me, music is everything, and I didn’t expect to find such a fantastic place. It’s everything but a rest home! It’s a holiday home,” she laughed. “Time flies... in the morning there’s a pianist, and everyone comes to listen, even those in wheelchairs. We all sing together, it’s so beautiful, and then there are concerts all afternoon.” (AFP)

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Romanian musicologist Bissy Roman (L) and Italian pianist Raimondo Campisi at Casa Verdi. “There came a time when I felt like I was all alone in the world, I didn’t have anyone anymore, and the Casa Verdi was the last solution: dying with music in my heart and near my musician companions,” she said. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Romanian musicologist Bissy Roman (L) and Italian pianist Raimondo Campisi at Casa Verdi. “There came a time when I felt like I was all alone in the world, I didn’t have anyone anymore, and the Casa Verdi was the last solution: dying with music in my heart and near my musician companions,” she said. (AFP)

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Verdi, who composed operas such as “Aida” and “La traviata”, was himself elderly when he decided at the end of the 19th century to create a “rest home” in what was then the countryside outside Milan. The neoclassical palazzo, designed by Camillo Boito, the brother of one of Verdi’s favourite libretto writers, was built to allow impoverished musicians to live out their days in dignity. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Verdi, who composed operas such as “Aida” and “La traviata”, was himself elderly when he decided at the end of the 19th century to create a “rest home” in what was then the countryside outside Milan. The neoclassical palazzo, designed by Camillo Boito, the brother of one of Verdi’s favourite libretto writers, was built to allow impoverished musicians to live out their days in dignity. (AFP)

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According to his own wishes, Casa Verdi only opened in 1902, a year after the composer died aged 87. Almost 120 years later, the home is run by the Giuseppe Verdi Foundation and has neither debts nor public funding, which is “a real miracle”, said the home’s president Roberto Ruozi. Residents make a monthly contribution based on their means. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

According to his own wishes, Casa Verdi only opened in 1902, a year after the composer died aged 87. Almost 120 years later, the home is run by the Giuseppe Verdi Foundation and has neither debts nor public funding, which is “a real miracle”, said the home’s president Roberto Ruozi. Residents make a monthly contribution based on their means. (AFP)

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However this amount always comes to “less than a fifth of the running costs”, with the lion’s share covered by income from past investments, Ruozi said. “Verdi left the rights to his royalties to Casa Verdi, which was for 60 years a non-negligible sum, part of which was invested” in 120 apartments that are today rented out, he added. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

However this amount always comes to “less than a fifth of the running costs”, with the lion’s share covered by income from past investments, Ruozi said. “Verdi left the rights to his royalties to Casa Verdi, which was for 60 years a non-negligible sum, part of which was invested” in 120 apartments that are today rented out, he added. (AFP)

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The home has also received donations, such as one of about six million euros ($6.8 million) from the daughter of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, which are subsequently invested. “We get room and board, there’s medical help. We’re looked after marvellously and we have everything: rooms to play the piano, a concert hall,” said pianist Raimondo Campisi, 71. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

The home has also received donations, such as one of about six million euros ($6.8 million) from the daughter of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, which are subsequently invested. “We get room and board, there’s medical help. We’re looked after marvellously and we have everything: rooms to play the piano, a concert hall,” said pianist Raimondo Campisi, 71. (AFP)

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A piano and a music sheet of Verdi's Otello are at Casa Verdi. Besides retirees, the Casa is also home to around 15 music students, some from Milan’s renowned La Scala Academy, as part of a project to connect different generations started in 1999. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

A piano and a music sheet of Verdi's Otello are at Casa Verdi. Besides retirees, the Casa is also home to around 15 music students, some from Milan’s renowned La Scala Academy, as part of a project to connect different generations started in 1999. (AFP)

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Japanese student Mari Miura (L) and Italian soprano Marika Spadafino rehearse. Just like her fellow musicians from Italy, Japan or South Korea, 30-year-old Spadafino appreciates the mix. “I speak a lot with the pensioners, they listen to me sing, give me tips,” she said. “They know how to share their experiences. For me, coming from a family where no one played music, it’s really important.” (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Japanese student Mari Miura (L) and Italian soprano Marika Spadafino rehearse. Just like her fellow musicians from Italy, Japan or South Korea, 30-year-old Spadafino appreciates the mix. “I speak a lot with the pensioners, they listen to me sing, give me tips,” she said. “They know how to share their experiences. For me, coming from a family where no one played music, it’s really important.” (AFP)

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Retired Italian violinist Renato Perversi plays in a room. Nevertheless, passions can run high at times among the group of musicians. “Put 60 artists living together, oh la la, you can just imagine!” said Campisi. The Casa Verdi has a waiting list of around 10 people, who will have to bide their time for a spot until a current resident dies. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 19, 2019 11:01 AM

Retired Italian violinist Renato Perversi plays in a room. Nevertheless, passions can run high at times among the group of musicians. “Put 60 artists living together, oh la la, you can just imagine!” said Campisi. The Casa Verdi has a waiting list of around 10 people, who will have to bide their time for a spot until a current resident dies. (AFP)

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