Bregenz Map
by witness_wannabe
Bregenz Tourism Office (Bregenz Tourismus & Stadtmarketing) offers an excellent tourist map of the city. It is free. Do not spend your money on maps! The office is located on Bahnhofstrasse street, only some 350 meters away from Bregenz train station (Bahnhof Bregenz).
Act 2 -- the gypsies
by Nemorino
At the beginning the second act the 48 meter long fence rises out of the ground, to separate the castle/refinery from the "beach" in the foreground.
The two gypsy piers are extended from the grandstand across to the stage, and soon dozens of gypsies cross and gather on the beach. Flames come out of several of the oil drums -- an eerie nighttime scene that perfectly matches Verdi's music.
Act 3 of Il trovatore (The Troubadour)
by Nemorino
In the first scene of Act 3 Azucena is captured by Count Luna's forces and brought as a prisoner to his castle.
In the second scene, shown here, the stage has suddenly turned blue to hint that this is a different castle now, the fortress where Manrico is under siege. Leonora is with him, and they want to get married in the castle chapel.
The audience
by Nemorino
At the end of the 2005 festival season they announced that nearly two hundred thousand tickets had been sold: 199,485 to be exact.
172,862 of these were tickets to the twenty-six open air performances of Verdi' Il trovatore. The rest were for the many concerts and smaller productions at various venues in Bregenz.
They say they sold 95% of the available tickets.
Be prepared for all weathers!
by floriatosca
If one can be sure of anything about the weather in this part of the Vorarlberg, it's that it won't be the same for more than a couple of days together. I arrived for my eight-day stay at the 2007 Festival in blazing sunshine. Tuesday and Wednesday the skies were cloudless and the sun was like a knife. Thursday and Friday, the clouds descended and the temperature plummeted by 20 degrees farenheit. For the next three days it was glorious again, then the heavens opened and stayed open. The message is - take light summer clothes AND something warmer. Layers are best, with a good sunhat. And, given how heavy the rain can be, something waterproof! If you're seeing a performance on the Floating Stage, wrap up warm, no matter how hot it's been during the day - the winds off the lake after dark are cruelly cold, even (especially) after a hot day. It's essential to take something that will repel both mosquitoes and midges, which infest the place both down on the lake and up on the Pfaender. My favourite remedy, Brewer's Yeast tablets, kept the mozzies off but the midges scored seven direct hits. Your camera and either plenty of film or a very big memory card.