We have been in Italy since the beginning of May when I had what people politely term a ‘significant birthday’, so significant that I was anxious to escape any mention of the awful anniversary. However my husband, who went on a sailing trip around the Galápagos Islands for his big birthday, not to be outdone in the significant birthday celebrations, secretly arranged an opera tour to three of the world’s great venues: Venice’s La Fenice, Vienna’s Staatsoper and the Arena of Verona.