By Peter Popham in Rome [The Independent, 26 October 2005]

Italy is the home of opera so it may come as some surprise that its demise is being predicted.

Curtains for La Scala? The culture minister, Rocco Buttiglione, has warned of the possible "death of opera" as the nation's 13 deeply indebted opera houses try to find ways to survive a 30 per cent cut in government subsidies, announced in the new budget.