>> Sreenivasan: IT'S SAID THAT

"OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE, THEY

JUST FADE AWAY."

BUT WHAT ABOUT OLD MUSICIANS?

IF THEY'RE LUCKY, THEY JUST KEEP

ON PLAYING.

THAT'S IN FACT WHAT'S HAPPENING

IN MILAN, ITALY, AT A RETIREMENT

HOME BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR

MUSICIANS.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL

CORRESPONDENT CHRIS LIVESAY HAS

OUR STORY FROM A PLACE WHERE THE

MUSIC NEVER STOPS.

( MUSIC )

>> Reporter: MEET RAIMONDO

CAMPISI, A RENOWNED PIANIST

WHO'S SPENT HIS LIFE PERFORMING

AROUND THE GLOBE.

AT 70 YEARS OLD, HE'S NOT

PLAYING INSIDE A TRADITIONAL

CONCERT HALL.

( MUSIC ENDS, APPLAUSE )

THIS IS CASA VERDI, A RETIREMENT

HOME FOR MUSICIANS IN MILAN,

ITALY.

( OPERA SINGING, PIANO )

ITS FOUNDER WAS NONE OTHER THAN

THE 19th-CENTURY ITALIAN

COMPOSER, GIUSEPPE VERDI.

BLOCKBUSTER COMPOSITIONS SUCH AS

LA TRAVIATA, RIGOLETTO AND

OTELLO HELPED HIM AMASS A

FORTUNE HE WOULD USE TO BUILD

THE NEO-GOTHIC MANSION FROM THE

GROUND UP JUST BEFORE HE DIED IN

1901.

HIS ROYALTIES WOULD KEEP THE

LIGHTS ON FOR DECADES MORE,

PROVIDING FOOD, LODGING AND

MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR MUSICIANS

WHO, AS VERDI PUT IT, WERE "NOT

FAVORED BY FORTUNE OR WHO, WHEN

THEY WERE YOUNG, DID NOT POSSESS

THE VIRTUE OF SAVING."

>> ( translated ): ALL I DO IS

PLAY PIANO AND SPEND MONEY.

THIEVES DON'T WASTE THEIR TIME

WITH ME BECAUSE THEY WON'T FIND

ANY MONEY.

VERDI HAD PEOPLE LIKE ME IN MIND

WHEN HE FOUNDED CASA VERDI.

>> Reporter: A PIANIST LIKE HER

SON, CAMPISI'S MOTHER WAS ALSO A

RESIDENT.

>> ( translated ): SHE PASSED

AWAY THREE YEARS AGO.

WHEN MY MOTHER LIVED HERE, I

DIDN'T KNOW THE PLACE VERY WELL

BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS PASSING

THROUGH.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW GREAT IT

WAS, WITH ALL THESE CONCERTS AND

MUSICIANS.

>> Reporter: VERDI CALLED THIS

RETIREMENT HOME THE FINEST OF

HIS LIFE'S WORK, AND, WALKING

THROUGH THESE HALLS, YOU START

TO UNDERSTAND WHY.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GO ANYWHERE

WITHOUT HEARING THE SOUND OF

MUSIC.

( OPERA SINGING )

YOU ALSO SEE MUSICAL REFERENCES

IN EVERY CORNER.

IN ONE ROOM, VERDI'’’S OWN PIANO.

DOOR HANDLES ARE MODELED AFTER

LYRES, AND KEYBOARD-INSPIRED

ARCHES LOOK LIKE THEY COULD PLAY

A SONG.

EVERY AESTHETIC DETAIL

TAILOR-MADE FOR A HOUSE FULL OF

MUSICIANS AND PAINSTAKINGLY

DESIGNED BY VERDI.

THE MAESTRO HIMSELF IS HERE,

TOO; HE'S ENTOMBED IN THE

COURTYARD.

TODAY, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 60

RESIDENTS.

UNLIKE IN VERDI'S DAY, THEY

RECEIVE STATE PENSIONS AND PAY

RENT ON A SLIDING SCALE,

ACCORDING TO THEIR MEANS.

THE RETIREMENT HOME WELCOMES

PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONALITIES AND

BACKGROUNDS.

THERE'S ONLY ONE REQUIREMENT:

THEY MUST HAVE BEEN PROFESSIONAL

MUSICIANS.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS HAVE

ACCESS TO ONGOING CONCERTS,

MUSIC ROOMS, 15 PIANOS, HARPS,

GRAMOPHONES AND, PERHAPS MOST

IMPORTANT, THE COMPANY OF THEIR

PEERS.

( APPLAUSE )

>> Reporter: BISSY ROMAN, NOW

93, SAYS MUSIC LITERALLY KEPT

HER ALIVE IN ROMANIA DURING

WORLD WAR II.

YOUR TOWN WAS OCCUPIED BY THE

NAZIS.

>> BY THE NAZIS.

>> Reporter: AND NEVERTHELESS,

YOU WERE STILL ABLE TO PLAY

PIANO?

>> Reporter: AFTER THE WAR,

ROMAN WENT ON TO TEACH PIANO AND

VOCAL PERFORMANCE AROUND THE

WORLD, INCLUDING FOR 12 YEARS AT

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY.

( SINGING )

AND SHE'S STILL SURROUNDED BY

YOUNG MUSICIANS.

SINCE 1993, THE RETIREMENT HOME

HAS ALSO RENTED ROOMS TO MUSIC

STUDENTS.

THE ELDERLY GET COMPANIONSHIP,

AND THE STUDENTS SAY THEY GET

FREE LESSONS ON MUSIC AND LIFE.

>> IT'S AMAZING THAT WE CAN DO

MUSIC WITH THEM.

WE CAN SING WITH THE OLD PEOPLE.

YOU ARE WALKING, AND, "OH,

YOU WANT TO SING TOGETHER."

AND, "YES, LET'S SING TOGETHER!"

>> "BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT SONG?"

"YEAH!"

( LAUGHTER )

( MUSIC, SINGNING CONTINUE )

>> Reporter: CASA VERDI'S

EXISTENCE HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN

GUARANTEED.

ROYALTIES FROM VERDI'S 27 OPERAS

KEPT THE HOME AFLOAT UNTIL THE

1950s.

THEN, HIS MUSIC ENTERED THE

PUBLIC DOMAIN, BECOMING FREE TO

EVERYONE.

THAT LEFT CASA VERDI WITHOUT

VITAL FUNDING, SAYS ROBERTO

RUOZI, THE PRESIDENT OF THE

VERDI FOUNDATION.

>> FORTUNATELY, THE

ADMINISTRATORS OF THE HOUSE

INVESTED THIS MONEY IN...

ESPECIALLY IN APARTMENTS,

BUILDINGS.

SO, NOW, WE HAVE MORE THAN 100

APARTMENTS THAT WE RENT TO

PEOPLE.

AND WITH THE RENTALS, WE FINANCE

THE HOUSE.

>> Reporter: RUOZI ALSO CREDITS

MAJOR FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

OVER THE DECADES FROM TITANS OF

CLASSICAL MUSIC, SUCH AS LUCIANO

PAVAROTTI AND THE HEIRS OF

ARTURO TOSCANINI.

>> IT IS REALLY A MIRACLE THAT

CASA VERDI IS STILL OPEN AND

WORKS VERY WELL, WITHOUT ANY BIG

PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY FROM THE

FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW.

>> Reporter: TO DATE, CASA VERDI

HAS HOSTED MORE THAN 1,500

RESIDENTS AND ALWAYS HAS A

WAITING LIST.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT

LIVING HERE?

>> I FEEL PROTECTED.

I FEEL THAT I AM HOME WITH

PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO GAVE THEIR

LIFE TO THE MUSIC.

( MUSIC CONCLUDES, APPLAUSE )