The Three Tenors concert in Sorrento
Opera arias, then songs of Naples, with piano, violin and cello and a ten-minute break. Cancellation is free up to 2 days ahead on the GetYourGuide ticket, which shows no reserve-now-pay-later option.
Why Sorrento
Why hear it in Sorrento
A song that names the town
Torna a Surriento means Come back to Sorrento. Two brothers made it: Ernesto wrote the tune and Giambattista De Curtis the verses. Sung in the town it names, it stops being a postcard tune and becomes a local one.
The idea behind the name
The title recalls the Three Tenors, the trio of Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras whose first concert took place in 1990. Here the room is small, the voices are different and the programme keeps the same shape: famous arias, then songs you know.
Opera first, then Naples
The programme runs in two halves with a break. Opera arias come first, then the songs of Naples. You do not need Italian or Neapolitan to enjoy either half, because each piece is a single self-contained song.
Two halves, one programme
The programme in two halves
Pieces named for this concert, grouped by half. Part one is opera and part two is the songs of Naples.
Part one
- Vesti la giubba1892
The clown who must still perform
A tenor aria from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, sung when Canio learns of his wife's infidelity but must still put on the costume and go on stage.
- E lucevan le stelle1900
A painter's last hour
Cavaradossi's aria in the last act of Puccini's Tosca, sung in prison as he remembers the stars and his lover. Tosca premiered in Rome on 14 January 1900.
- La donna è mobile1851
A song the streets learned overnight
The Duke of Mantua's showpiece in Verdi's Rigoletto, first staged at Venice's La Fenice on 11 March 1851; by the next morning it was reportedly being sung in the streets.
- Nessun dorma1926
Let no one sleep
Prince Calaf's aria from Puccini's Turandot, which premiered at La Scala on 25 April 1926. Pavarotti took it far beyond the opera house in 1990.
Part two
- 'O sole mio1898
My sun
Giovanni Capurro wrote the verses and Eduardo di Capua is credited with the tune; a Turin court added Alfredo Mazzucchi as co-composer in 2002.
- Torna a Surriento1894
Come back to Sorrento
The De Curtis brothers, Ernesto and Giambattista, wrote it. Tradition places it in 1902, for a prime minister's stay at a Sorrento hotel.
- Funiculì, Funiculà1880
A funicular on Vesuvius
Denza supplied the tune and Turco the verses, for the first funicular up Vesuvius; the printed music passed a million copies in its first year.
- Caruso1980s
A song for a tenor
Lucio Dalla wrote it for Enrico Caruso after staying in a Sorrento hotel where the tenor had stayed. It often closes a concert of songs.
Programme and performers may change from one date to the next; the date you book decides your evening, not this list.
The villa
The villa behind the concert
The concert is held in the Museo Correale di Terranova, the former summer residence of the Correale family, at Via Correale 50.
A gift to the town
Count Alfredo Correale and his brother Pompeo, the last descendants of an ancient Neapolitan noble family, gathered their collections in the Villa alla Rota and set up a museum in their name. It opened in May 1924.
Four floors, 24 rooms
The museum fills the four floors of an eighteenth-century house, in 24 rooms ordered by period and section, from archaeology and Sorrento inlay to Neapolitan painting and porcelain.
A garden and a belvedere
An avenue of plane trees and orange groves leads to a belvedere terrace over the Gulf of Naples. Along it stands a chestnut-pole pergola, a Sorrento way of protecting citrus from wind and hail.
White and gold for music
The museum says its white-and-gold Hall of Mirrors is used for opera and classical music. Meeting point and date details appear on the booking page and in your confirmation.
Sorrento in pictures
The villa, the bay and the old town
Sorrento's waterfront with Vesuvius behind it, a gallery of the museum, the ferry port under the cliff, a cliff-top hotel, Piazza Tasso and the cloister of San Francesco. These are photographs of the town and the museum, not of the concert hall.
Other ways to spend a night out
Three ways to spend a musical evening near Sorrento
| Choice | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Three Tenors concert in Sorrento | Opera arias, then songs of Naples, with piano, violin and cello and a ten-minute break. Cancellation is free up to 2 days ahead on the GetYourGuide ticket, which shows no reserve-now-pay-later option. | Anyone who wants famous arias and Neapolitan songs in Sorrento itself. |
| A staged opera in a theatre | A full production with orchestra, sets and costumes, usually a longer evening in a city with an opera house. Programmes and dates change by season. | Opera lovers who plan a trip around a production. |
| A dinner with live music | A restaurant evening where songs accompany a meal. Menus and music vary, so check what each ticket includes. | Travellers who want food and music in one booking. |
Book the concert
Book the Three Tenors concert
Select the card to browse open dates. More activities around Sorrento are listed in the rail underneath.
More to book in Sorrento
Getting ready
Plan your evening
Where to go
Museo Correale di Terranova, Via Correale 50, in central Sorrento. Your date's meeting point is on the booking page and in your confirmation.
Getting to Sorrento
The Circumvesuviana railway runs from Naples to Sorrento in about an hour, and Sorrento is the end of the line. Ferries and hydrofoils link the town with Naples, Capri, Ischia, Positano and Amalfi. Check timetables with the operators.
Start time and length
The calendar lists a start time against every date. The GetYourGuide ticket gives 80 minutes with a ten-minute break, and the museum's page says about 90, so keep an hour and a half free.
Comfort and access
The concert details mention toilets and air conditioning, and the ticket marks the concert as wheelchair accessible. Pets are not allowed.
Phones
Put your phone away once the music starts, so that the people behind you can see and hear the tenors.
Dress
The ticket sets no dress code, so choose clothes for the season and add a light layer for cooler rooms.
Notes on the music, the villa and the town
Notes on the music, the villa and the town
Choosing a date and booking
Three Tenors Sorrento: booking guide
Booking the Sorrento concert step by step: what the evening holds, where it takes place, how to choose a date and who will enjoy it.
Read the guide → The villa and the way thereMuseo Correale concert: the venue
The Museo Correale di Terranova, the Sorrento villa that hosts the Three Tenors concert: its history, its garden, and how to reach it by train, bus or ferry.
Read the guide →FAQ
Before you book the concert
How long does the Sorrento concert last?
The GetYourGuide ticket gives 80 minutes including a ten-minute break, and the museum's page says about 90 minutes. The calendar shows a start time for every date.
Where is the Sorrento concert staged?
In the Museo Correale di Terranova at Via Correale 50, in central Sorrento, a former summer residence of the Correale family that opened as a museum in 1924.
Who performs?
Three tenors with piano, violin and cello, presented by Opera e Lirica. Performers named have differed between sources, so expect the line-up to vary from date to date.
What is sung?
Opera arias come first and songs of Naples second, for example Nessun dorma, 'O sole mio and Torna a Surriento. Programmes can change.
Do I need to know Italian or opera?
No. Italian is the language of the arias and Neapolitan that of the songs, and each piece stands alone. The guides on this site give the story behind the best-known ones.
Is the ticket refundable?
Up to 2 days before the concert, the GetYourGuide ticket returns the full fare. The ticket shows no reserve-now-pay-later option.
Is food or drink included?
Do not count on it. The ticket is for the concert, so plan dinner before or after.
Is the concert wheelchair accessible?
Wheelchair access is listed on the ticket, and the museum says it admits disabled visitors. Ask the museum about your route and seat ahead of travel.
About 80 minutes of opera arias and songs of Naples in a Sorrento villa, free to cancel up to 2 days ahead.
Reserve your seats ↗The fare is per adult. It shows in US dollars here and in your local currency at checkout.