Out with the Opera Stars

I completely forgot to request for my tickets to The Barber of Seville. What a shame!

The good thing is, I got assigned for a full-day tour of Tagaytay City... and look who it was that I was supposed to entertain? The stars of the opera. Ruggiero Barbieri (conductor), Antonio Petris (director), Loretta Bonamente (assistant director) and Mario Cassi (Figaro).

It's pretty hard to impress Italians with our art and culture (or so I thought) as they have a country that is just overflowing with it. But I was proven wrong when they were at their most attentive. The road on the way to Tagaytay was pretty quiet. I allowed them to get some more zzzzzzs. they were pretty tired from a gala performance the previous evening after which came a formal dinner in their honor.

So the departure for Tagaytay was moved to 11:00 a.m. I thought it would be difficult to drive at that time but fortunately, the driver of CCP's coaster was pretty adept. I asked that he bring us directly to Antonio's for the scheduled lunch. Thankfully we did not lose our reservation as we were at the venue 5 minutes prior to one o'clock.

Lunch was an experience in itself. The guests were impressed with Antonio's cuisine. For those not in the know, Anotnio's is the place to enjoy fine dining in Tagaytay City. Owned by Chef Antonio Escueta, the restaurant is replete with old world charm tucked away in a one hectare property away from the maddening Tagaytay crowd. The food ain't bad either... it has the distinction of being fifth on the Miel's Guide of top restaurants world-wide.  If you wanna experience it, you gotta be willing to part with some of your hard-earned bucks. Well worth it, I would say.

The guests were grateful for a great meal with an ambience that seemed like they were transported back to Tuscany. How would you like to hear that? They were as ordinary as the next plain Joe that gets caught up in Tagaytay's quaint charm. I can see the comparison. Tagaytay's rolling hills and plantations make everything so green and easy on the eyes. Except that Mr. Barbierri hates the sometimes slow moving traffic along Aguinaldo Highway. That's about the only thing they didn't quite enjoy but it was an excuse to give commentaries and engage in conversation with the guests.

Next stop was Taal Vista Lodge for them to enjoy the view of Taal Volcano. We were warmly greeted by the staff and heads of the hotel. We took our obligatory photos and had some palitao, siopao and glasses of iced tea by the veranda while talking and exchanging views on the volcano's episodes. Apparently Mario was scared of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Italy does get its fair share of those from time to time too.

We then proceeded to Tagaytay Highlands. It was getting dark with the rain clouds when we got there. We were welcomed and met at the clubhouse by the golf course. It had started to rain and the guests were going crazy trying to snap as many pictures as they can and posting them on Facebook. Loretta on the other hand, made friends with two Filipino kids who spoke fluent Italian. Apparently their dad had worked in Pisa for eight years and that was where they grew up. They were in the clubhouse that day and what a chance to meet with the opera stars and Mr. Barbierri's 11 year old son Piolo.

After some snacks and coffee (for me) and fresh fruit juice for the guests, it was time to get home. We took an alternate route that brought us directly to the SLEX where we headed for Manila Peninsula Hotel where the guests were billeted. It was a long fruitful day that was full of intellectual exchanges and pleasantries only the Italians could muster. Thank God I could manage a few sentences in Italian despite my foreign-sounding name.