Franco Zeffirelli was never my favourite filmmaker. But it was clear, based on things I had heard and read, that he was a creative giant, and that his work in cinema was best understood in the larger context of his work in theatre and opera. So a visit to the Zeffirelli Museum (in the Zeffirelli Foundation building) in Florence was a highlight of our trip to Italy. The elasticity of Zeffirelli’s imagination, and the sheer volume of his creative output, is staggering. And my ignorance of most opera and theatre is staggering in its own way too.
