Arena di Verona, induced revenue of 2 billion. 71% of the budget from own resources

Arena di Verona beats Romeo Juliet 3 to 0. Yes, because the famous opera house is not only a generator of wealth, but also a 'mass and competence phenomenon', as its superintendent, Cecilia Gasdia, has defined it. The Arena di Verona not only generates an economic revenue of almost 2 billion euro (1,976 million), an added value of 670 million, almost 6 thousand jobs and 206 million euro in taxes, but has also become, in its more than 100 years of history, a symbol of the city, perceived as such by its inhabitants and visitors.

Sixty per cent of the people (Veronese and non-Veronese) who were asked to say what was the first thing that came to their mind when they thought of the city in the Veneto indicated the famous opera house. Three times as many people, in other words, indicate Romeo and Juliet (21%).

"Culture brings wealth," said Gasdia, who has led the opera-symphonic foundation to which the Arena belongs for eight years, presenting the Nomisma study that quantified the economic, employment and fiscal impact of the Opera Festival and the activities of the Fondazione Arena.

It brings wealth to the Verona area, which absorbs 58% of the value generated, but also to the regional territory (a further 20%) and to the rest of the country, which benefits from 22%. In fact, it is estimated that the more than 400,000 spectators who attended the Opera Festival in the 2025 opera season generated an expenditure of 315 million euro for food, accommodation, shopping, recreational and cultural activities and transport. The sectors most directly involved are trade and accommodation (15.3% and 15.1% of the total production value), followed by personal services, transport and logistics, business and agribusiness. Employment also creates tax revenue, which for the year in question amounted to approximately Euro 206 million: 87% (Euro 179 million) goes to the State, 9% to the Regions and 4% to the Municipalities. The multiplier effect spills over throughout Italy: every euro invested in the Arena corresponds to 6.3 euros returned to the country.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect that emerged from the research, analysing the balance sheet data for 2024, is that the Fondazione Arena di Verona stands out from the other 11 national lyrical-symphonic foundations with ordinary statute for its capacity to generate its own resources, which represent 71% of the value of production (57.5 million euro), with 56% made up of sales revenue and 12% coming from sponsorships and donations (for example, through the Art Bonus tool, through the '67 Colonne' project). Only 29% comes from public contributions, while the average of the other 11 Foundations sees inverted percentages, with 25% from own resources and 75% from public resources.