Giuseppe Verdi is considered the greatest among the creators of
Italian opera. Beginning with his first triumph with Nabucco,
Verdi conquered the world of the Italian opera and had no peer
among living composers. The international development of Verdi's
career took place at the time of the dramatic increase in
Italian nationalism movement. Verdi played an important part in
this movement. No other composer of Italian opera was able to
reach Verdi's fame. When Verdi died, more than 30,000 people
filled the streets of Milan for his funeral procession. Verdi
left virtually all his substantial wealth to a nursing home in
Milan that he founded.