Dressed as the tragic heroine Violetta, a soprano's voice rose through the lively Italian Style Area, a well-preserved architectural district in North China's Tianjin where culture and commerce now blend in new ways.

The Italian opera La Traviata is usually performed on a theater stage with elaborate sets. This time, during the five-day May Day holiday, it stepped out of the concert hall and into an urban public space, thus transforming the Italianate architectural district in Tianjin into an open-air theater.

Adapted from the novel The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils (1824-95), the opera tells the tragic love story between Parisian courtesan Violetta Valery and young bourgeois Alfredo Germont.

"The show has infused classic operas with renewed vigor in urban public spaces, enriching tourists' holiday experiences," says Zhang Yiquan, a performer with the Tianjin Opera and Dance Drama Theater.

Tourists gathered in the streets, swaying gently to the music. Among them stood Alberto Casartelli, an Italian who teaches at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. As a frequent visitor to the area, he says: "I always find a bit of home here."

Casartelli adds that the Baroque windows in this historical area echo the architectural lines seen in old photos of Florence, while artists sketching at outdoor cafes remind him of street painters in Venice.

"Music has no borders. Art brings my home closer and beauty connects us across mountains and seas," he says.

"Watching this opera is wonderful. The love and struggle in the story are as moving as the Chinese legend of The Butterfly Lovers."

Zheng Fang, head of the Tianjin Opera and Dance Drama Theater, says: "We chose classic Italian opera and staged it amid authentic Italianate architecture, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in European artistic charm amid these century-old buildings."

Performers frequently interacted with spectators at close range, creating an intimate atmosphere that many tourists said made them feel part of the story itself.

"We broke the boundaries of the theater, and we hope more visitors will enjoy the new interpretation and feel that art is more approachable," Zheng says.

"This is how art creates a deep connection with the public," she adds.

Zheng says that the theater has encouraged performances to move out of enclosed spaces to the city's scenic and cultural landmarks. "People may unexpectedly encounter a professional performance while strolling through the city."

Beyond cultural experience, the immersive opera performance also boosted nearby businesses. Surrounded by Gothic, Roman and Baroque architecture, the Italian Style Area, built in 1902, is home to traditional restaurants, shopping malls, boutique retailers and international brand hotels, where the charm of tradition intertwines with international flair.

"I'm not just running a business. I'm passing on culture," says Renato Pegoraro, an Italian who runs an Italian restaurant in the area.

"We have seen many more customers during the holidays. Many visitors want to continue the Italian atmosphere with an authentic Italian meal here."

Kang Kai, general manager of a company that runs the Italian Style Area, says: "The immersive opera has been staged continuously during the holiday, upgrading the quarter from a traditional sightseeing spot into an artistic zone."

Kang adds that the performance effectively raised the area's cultural recognition and encouraged tourists to stay longer. "With a unique cultural experience, visitors' willingness to consume also increases, bringing strong consumption vitality to the area."