Gian Francesco Angelini Rota
(Visso 1830 – Castel Ritaldi 1915)
The name of the “Villa Francesca”
farmhouse pays homage to Francesca Bonelli, the opera singer’s beloved mother.
He was an Italian bass who performed on the stages of important theatres, in Italy (La Fenice in Venice, San Carlo in Naples, Carlo Felice in Genoa) and in Europe (Teatro Italiano and Teatro dell’Opera in Paris).
He played the role of Father Guardian at the opera’s premiere.
“La Forza del Destino” by Giuseppe Verdi, performed at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg on November 10, 1862.
He performed alongside many of the greatest performers of his time, such as Teresa Stoltz, Enrico Tamberlik, Carlo Baucardé, Antonio Cotogni, and Ignazio Marini, and under the direction of illustrious conductors such as Giuseppe Gabetti and many others.
“After all, when a good part of one’s existence is spent practicing art, one remains an artist for life. For twenty years I have lived far from music and theater, but theater and music were and have never ceased to be my element, and if I happen to listen to a piece, especially one I have performed so many times myself, my heart beats faster in my chest, my lungs seem to draw in air with greater force.”