Culture of Milan nevertheless it retained a sort of central position in cultural debates. New ideas and movements from other countries of Europe were accepted and discussed: thus Realism and Naturalism gave birth to an Italian movement, "Verismo". The greatest "verista" novelist, Giovanni Verga, was born in Sicily but wrote his most important books in Milan. Milan is a major nationwide and international centre of the performing arts, most notably opera. Milan is the location of "La Scala" opera house, one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world, and throughout history has hosted the premieres of numerous operas, such as "Nabucco"
Opera in The Domain Opera in The Domain Opera in the Domain presented by Opera Australia is an open-air concert held in the Phillip Precinct of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney. Every January, thousands of Sydneysiders flock to The Domain for a night of free opera. The event itself has been running since 2000 and since 2005 has been sponsored by Mazda Australia, adopting its new name "Mazda Opera in the Domain". Former MP Kevin Rudd described the event as "One of the most popular open-air events in Australia", and former Prime Minister Julia Gillard earlier this year said "Opera in the Domain is