Enrico Caruso's stage clothes on display in Florence on the centenary of his death

Through August 24, 2021, Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence is hosting the exhibition Costumes on Stage. Stories of opera theater from the Enrico Caruso Museum. On the occasion of the centenary of the death of the famous tenor, costumes kept in the archives of the Lastra a Signa Museum, housed in the Villa Bellosguardo, a villa that Caruso bought in 1906 and which became his home until his death in 1921, are displayed here for the first time. The Villa and Museum are currently owned by the Lastra a Signa Municipal Administration.

The costumes on display date back to the early 20th century and are part of a donation that made possible the birth of the Enrico Caruso Museum. All the dresses, richly and accurately made, were subjected to a meticulous and careful restoration for the occasion, by Beyer & Perrone’s Studio Restauro Tessile, which was commissioned and financed by the Metropolitan City.

There are six dresses in all on display: stage dresses that Enrico Caruso and other famous contemporary singers wore in various performances. Among those worn by the tenor is that of Canio, with a pleated gale collar, felt hat and rosette and pom pom decorations, used in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci; the short Egyptian-style tunic for the role of Radames in Giuseppe Verdi’sAida; and again, the oriental-made surcoat worn as Osaka in Mascagni’s Iris.

Stage dress has always played a role of great importance in the history of theater, and its evolution is closely linked to that of theater itself. The exhibition at Palazzo Medici Riccardi therefore aims to celebrate the tenor who has given so much to the world of opera, and at the same time the theater itself.

Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Wednesdays.

Ticket also includes a visit to the Palazzo Medici Riccardi museum. Full 10 euros, reduced 6 euros. Free up to 17 years old.

Pictured is Cio-Cio-San’s dress in Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

Enrico Caruso's stage clothes on display in Florence on the centenary of his death

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