(Credit: Dario Acosta)

Eleonora Buratto will become the first opera star to lend her face to a project at the Renata Tebaldi Museum: the laying of paving stones dedicated to the great artists of melodrama in the town of Busseto.

This urban art project, entitled “La strada del melodramma,” will be inaugurated by Buratto on Oct. 11. The project starts at the Piazza Giuseppe Verdi and makes its way along Via Roma to reach the stables of Villa Pallavicino, which houses the Renata Tebaldi Museum.

The aim of “La strada del melodramma” is to celebrate the town of Busseto, the former capital of the Pallavicino State, made famous worldwide as the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi. The first three stones will be dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, Renata Tebaldi, and Arturo Toscanini, and in the coming years “La strada del melodramma” will be extended to become a world-class tourist attraction and the names that will be featured will be chosen by a committee from the Renata Tebaldi Museum Foundation, the general manager of the Teatro Regio in Parma Anna Maria Meo, the president of Agis Carlo Fontana, the CEO of Teatro alla Scala Dominique Meyer and the conductor Richard Bonynge.

Buratto will lay the first stone, which is actually a brass square bearing the signature, name, and description of the soprano Renata Tebaldi.

In a statement, the soprano said, “I will be laying the first stone. I am honored to have received this invitation from the Renata Tebaldi Museum and to be carrying out this task. Renata Tebaldi is one of the singers whom I adore. For me, not only is she one of the great divas of the past, she has always been a model for me in my studies, too. The beauty of her voice, managed with admirable technique, and the elegance of her singing are a gift which she has bequeathed to us forever. Laying this stone will be another special way of thanking this unparalleled artist.”