Heading to Orlando, Florida? Love music? There is more to do there than the usual Orlando junket. We've recently discovered a cool musical performance at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, entitled Musica Della Notte. We were lucky enough to sit down and talk with Jennifer Hodges, Director of Public Relations for Loews Hotels & Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando. Here's what she had to say...

JH: Musica Della Notte is Italian for "music of the night" and is our nightly opera show that is performed by singers from balconies overlooking the Harbor Piazza. The show infuses our Italian-themed hotel with another element of the Italian culture and brings guests and local residents together on the Harbor Piazza for a complimentary show like no other in Central Florida.

The show takes place around or shortly after sunset each night (weather permitting), which means that the time fluctuates based upon the time of the year. Currently, Musica Della Notte is being performed at 6:30 pm. (Anyone wishing to know the time of that night's show can call the hotel's concierge desk.) The hotel is a re-creation of the seaside village of Portofino, Italy, complete with cobblestone piazzas and outdoor cafes.

Here is the schedule of the shows and a short description of each one:

Sunday: Broadway Favorites
Monday: Viva Italia
Tuesday: Romanza
Wednesday: Viva Italia
Thursday: Tenors Night
Friday: Romanza
Saturday: Tenors Night

Viva Italia - spirited Italian songs that include Neapolitan favorites & 20th Century standards Romanza - favorite love songs with an Italian flavor including songs made famous by Bocelli & Sinatra Tenors Night - classic tenor arias & Bocelli favorites

WE:  Can you please tell us more about the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel?

JH: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel opened in 1999 as the first on-site hotel at
Universal Orlando.  The hotel is a re-creation of the famed Mediterranean
seaside village of Portofino, Italy, complete with cobblestone piazzas and
outdoor cafes.  Each room offers the epitome of European luxury and
elegance with authentic Italian furnishings and marble accents.  Hotel
guests also enjoy award-winning restaurants, a nightly opera performance,
the world-class Mandara Spa and three themed swimming pools.  The hotel’s
newest room product features kids’ suites with a Dr. Seuss theme.

Hotel guests also enjoy exclusive benefits at Universal Orlando Resort,
including free Universal Express ride access, allowing them to skip the
regular lines at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  Loews
Portofino Bay Hotel is connected to its sister properties – Hard Rock
Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort – as well as both Universal Orlando theme parks and CityWalk by a scenic waterway.

WE:  Can you please share more about the singers in the Musica Della Notte?

JH: The singers who perform in Musica della Notte are classically-trained
musicians, who also perform as strolling musicians in our signature
restaurants, Mama Della's Ristorante.   (Also refer to information sent  in
original e-mail about Musica Della Notte and their different shows.)

WE: What other events do you have at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel?

JH: We host Harbor Nights - a wine tasting, food and jazz event several times
throughout the year, as well as special dining events for Easter, Mother's
Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

WE: Are there restaurants or other areas which overlook the Piazza, for visitors who aren't guests of the hotel?

JH: Most of the hotel's restaurants are located on or around the Harbor Piazza and are open to hotel guests and non-hotel guests.  The nightly Musica Della Notte show, in fact, attracts many local residents who come out to enjoy the music.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

JH: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel was just named one of the top 500 hotels in the world by one of the world’s leading luxury travel publications.  The team
of reporters and editors from Travel + Leisure checked out the highest-rated hotels, resorts, inns and lodges around the globe to create their annual list.

WE: Thanks so much, Jennifer! What a fun way to spend an evening.