ITALY gave birth to opera, but in its home country the art form now carries a distinct air of maledizione (curse). Of Italy’s 14 major opera houses—the ones supported by the federal government—nearly all are in the red. Last September, a strike over pay forced Genoa’s opera house to cancel its first production of the season.

ITALY gave birth to opera, but in its home country the art form now carries a distinct air of maledizione (curse). Of Italy’s 14 major opera houses—the ones supported by the federal government—nearly all are in the red. Last September, a strike over pay forced Genoa’s opera house to cancel its first production of the season.