Everyone has their own dream of undertaking the trip of a lifetime. A luxury cruise perhaps. A wildlife safari. Getting close to nature at the pristine Galapagos Islands.
The Illawarra Flame has uncovered details of the most remarkable 'themed holiday' completed recently by a music-loving Wollongong couple. It truly is a mouth-watering smorgasbord of concerts, festivals and a delightful dash or two of sheer indulgence.
But first, it's important to get a little background.
It was in 2013, early in her retirement, that Patricia O'Brien and Tony Thompson were convinced to embark on a nine-week music-themed holiday to Barcelona, Paris and Berlin.
In those days, Patricia and Tony were Sydney-based. Their decision to make Wollongong their home came later.
On that 2013 holiday, it was Barcelona love at first sight in the early days of the trip, and they decided to swap their life in Oz for a culture-filled Spanish sojourn, signing a three-year lease on an apartment in Barcelona.
"Three years turned into eight, during which time the Aussie dollar was strong against the Euro, meaning we could travel to performances, museums and exhibitions across Europe, deepening our love of European culture," Patricia said.
With Europe suffering from severe lockdowns, Patricia and Tony decided to return to Australia during the pre-vaccination Covid period in early 2021, and with an open mind about where to settle.
Falling in love with everything Wollongong has to offer
"We decided Sydney was too busy and we wanted to move somewhere within striking distance of Sydney. We chose to live smack bang in the middle of Wollongong and we just love its natural beauty between the mountains and the sea," Patricia said
"We knew Richard Tognetti brought the Australian Chamber Orchestra to Wollongong three times a year, the Steel City Strings is a fabulous local chamber orchestra, and Wollongong Conservatorium has a wide community outreach program, including performances by eminent artists in residence.
"In addition, Opera Australia, the Brandenburg Orchestra, The Song Company and other performance companies also visit regularly. Wollongong has enriched our musical lives with the great advantage that we can walk to all the performances."
With the Covid pandemic travel and public gathering restrictions behind them, Patricia and Tony decided it was time to catch up on lost time and planning began for what they wanted to create – a music-themed holiday taking in some of their favourite European venues while allowing enough time to enjoy some entirely new discoveries.
"This time we decided to allocate three months, beginning the trip in France with the Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence and ending with the chamber music festival Trame Sonore in northern Italy's Mantova," Patricia said.
Enjoying some of the world's greatest musicians
"We knew from experience that attending this Easter festival is about a particular lifestyle, as well as enjoying some of the world’s greatest musicians. Concerts don’t begin until 8.30. We booked an Airbnb, shopped at the fabulous Provençal daily market, cooked and enjoyed dinner before walking five minutes to the Grand Théâtre."
Patricia said they'd learned from experience to find a home base. "We don't like moving around too much. We like to choose a place to stay and settle in and enjoy being a part of everyday life wherever we go.
"It wasn’t all about the music. Marseille was 40 minutes by express bus, Avignon a comfortable day trip by train, and there was an overnight stay in Arles to enjoy. Luma Arles that included Frank Gehry’s inspirational tower were all wonderful. And beautiful Aix in Spring is a treat."
Patricia said putting the itinerary together was relatively easy. "We knew most of the concert halls because we'd been there previously. Paris was only three hours by train, so we spent a week there to enjoy a performance at the Thèâtre des Champs Elysees. We also went to see the David Hockney retrospective focusing on his work of the last 25 years. It was quite remarkable and lived up to the hype and sensational reviews."
Keen to avoid air travel where possible, Patricia and Tony took the Eurostar to London where they enjoyed concerts at "the acoustically superb Wigmore Hall famous for its beautiful art deco style interior. The world’s best chamber musicians play around nine to 10 performances a week; we were very satisfied with three this time.
"Our next stop was a music free Padova where we enjoyed some wonderful food, stunning architecture and history, as well as just being in a beautiful northern Italian city.
The holiday highlight in Italy
"Our anticipated highlight of the trip was just that. Trame Sonore is a five-day annual event in Mantova, a beautiful, almost tourist-free, small Italian city.
"We arrived there by happenchance on day five of the festival and we knew we should return for the five days on our next visit. The format is unique. World-class musicians perform in beautiful Renaissance buildings such as the Palazzo Ducale, Rotonda di San Lorenzo, Teatro Bibiena, Basilica di Santa Barbara and Palazzo d’Arco.
"The 150 concerts of the festival are between 30 and 45 minutes only and the wonderful venues are close to each other. We averaged five per day with no feeling of being rushed to get to the next."
And experiencing some of the finest music in the world, at to-die-for locations need not cost an arm and a leg.
A performance that drew tears of emotion
"The various subscription options are not expensive. Our subscriptions cost the same as one ticket to the Australian Opera – even with the current sad exchange rate for our dollar to the Euro," Patricia said. "There is a delightful intimacy between performers and participants. It is not unusual to sit with performers in the audience. A lovely, shared moment was with the harpsichord player from our first concert.
"We later sat behind him at an afternoon concert which featured particularly emotional music. The main theme readily provokes tears. Just as mine were gathering under my chin the harpsichordist was wiping them vigorously from his face with each repetition of the theme. Our feelings of elation and joy lasted for many days after Trame Sonore and the wonderful previous concerts."
With around 40 remarkable musical experiences under their belt, finally it was back to Barcelona to catch up with the special friends they miss. And yes, planning is already well advanced for another magical European musical holiday about the same time next year; but this one will be hard to beat.
