Joyce Mariani created "Opera in the Garden," a free outdoor concert that takes place each summer in Rockefeller Park's Italian Cultural Garden, to celebrate Italian immigrants' contributions to the city of Cleveland and enliven the 80-year-old public space.   

Although Mariani sets up 200 chairs in the idyllic garden, you might want to bring one from home; last year, over 800 people showed up.

"People find something universal in the Italian cultural experience," says Mariani, Executive Director of the Italian Cultural Gardens Foundation. "And this is an outdoor museum to Italian culture in Cleveland."

Mariani has launched an ambitious effort to expand the garden according to original, unfinished plans. Now that she has raised more than $465,000 towards the $750,000 fund-raising goal, work has begun on a large statue of Dante and a dedication is planned for the fall. Future plans call for filling an empty quadrant of the garden with a small pantheon, as well.

"It just goes to show that if you believe in something, people will tap into your dream," Mariani says.

The Italian Cultural Garden was founded in 1930 by Italian-American businessman Philip Garbo. Its prominent features include a column from the Roman Forum and a bust of Virgil that was sent by the Italian government. Garbo's company, the Italian Fresco and Decorating Company, designed and painted decorative art and frescoes in residences, churches and over 100 theaters, including the Ohio Theatre. The design of the upper garden is taken from the Villa Medici in Rome.

This year's Opera in the Garden will take place on Sunday, July 31st at 6 p.m.  in the Italian Cultural Garden (990 East Boulevard).

Source: Joyce Mariani
Writer: Lee Chilcote