You don't need a front seat at the Met to enjoy some of New York City's finest opera. You can experience it all: The live music, costumes, and scenery at Caffè Taci Opera Nights, which celebrates its 26th anniversary this summer. Opera enthusiast and owner Leopoldo Mucci said what started out as a vision quickly blossomed into a reality, when he hosted his first opera night on July 25, 1995.

"In all of our cities — Modena, Bologna — there are beautiful opera theaters," he told FOX 5 NY. Mucci, whose patrons dub him "The Godfather of Opera," eats, sleeps, and breathes the arts. The native of northern Italy began his small business venture after coming here on a student visa. He began hosting weekly opera nights at his small restaurant on 110th Street and Broadway, recruiting talented, young musicians from Manhattan's music conservatories.