A boat trip out of Stockholm along Lake Malaren takes you to Drottningholm, the Swedish summer palace set in magnificent gardens. In 2009, you can see Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppa or Handel's Ariodante (Handel in June and Monteverdi in August) in the magnificent Drottningholm Theatre, which came to life during the time of Gustaf III (whose murder inspired Verdi to write Un Ballo i Maschera).
Now a UNESCO world heritage site, the stunning theatre still uses the original eighteenth century stage sets and mechanisms. Seeing an opera here is an experience of a lifetime.