Woman arrested for blasting Verdi from her house 16 hours a day… for 16 years

9 August 2018, 11:54

Štúrovo, Kossuthová 25

By Elizabeth Davis

The owner of a house in the town of Štúrovo in Slovakia is in custody after breaking an injunction banning her from playing an aria from 'Il trovatore' on repeat for over a decade.

The woman, identified only as Éva N, has been playing one short piece from Verdi’s opera from 6am to 10pm every day for an incredible 16 years.

The piece that her neighbours were treated to every day was the aria ‘Ciel!… Non M’inganna from Verdi’s Il trovatore performed by Plácido Domingo.

Reports in local press say the unusual neighbourhood dispute started when Éva N complained about the barking of a dog.

Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo. Picture: Getty

In 2015 the mayor of Sturovo issued an injunction which banned harassment in the form of playing loud music. Eva N appealed the injunction.

According to reports she stopped playing the aria for a little under two years, before starting again a few months ago.

In March this year the country’s Supreme Court upheld the injunction, leading to the woman’s arrest this week.

According to News Now, the women was charged with dangerous persecution. She faces a possible prison sentence of up to three years.