You may have read that opera lirica has recently become a candidate to enter the UNESCO intangible world heritage: another great achievement for our beautiful country and for the world of music.

Yes, for our country, because opera as we know it today was born in Italy! When you think of it, it’s not that surprising and it’s also quite evident: most operas, even those composed by non-Italian artists, are in Italian. In fact, the link was – and remains – so strong, that many professional opera singers learn la bella lingua to excel in every performance.