Rossini, Verdi & Puccini: Orchestration Question

Are there particular passages, ouvertures, moments, whole operas... from these three composers that you think have particularly effective, striking and beautiful orchestration?

Perhaps a random note: Riccardo Chailly talked in one interview about Verdi's masterpieces of orchestration and mentioned as an example the dark, thick, black, funèbre sound of the last act of Aïda. He also mentioned Mahler's fascination with the composer and that while orchestrating his Fourth he was conducting Falstaff and that the two share many colouring ideas. :)

I honestly hate all three and their orchestrations...!

Honestly if I had to talk about orchestration and opera I'd rather talk about Janacek or hell even Wagner than those three.

Rossini - meh, I don't really care much about. His operas were decent though.

Verdi - considered the maestro of opera, the Wagner of Italy - even, Iono though.

Puccini - I actually studied Puccini in great detail when I was younger. His opera are great BUT his art songs are even better. The use of the piano to accentuate the vocalist and how both succeed in musically painting the meaning of the text are incredible. The art songs of his are truly seldom studied or looked at, sadly.

I like Puccini's use of harmony if anything, but I don't like how he uses the orchestra. I really don't like big 19th century orchestra crap at all, the sound isn't attractive to me.

His songs are much more simpler - and I really think more should research them.

Leoncavallo with Pagliacci. That is all.

I hate Puccini, most of the time. Its like Schoenberg or Wagner, I can only listen to it for short periods of time before gagging.

Eh, they all have their moments. I'm generally not a big fan of their operas, but the music's a fascinating study in style and form, particularly in relation to the Code Rossini (Grand Duet structure). Rigoletto's not too bad, but I'm pulling for Janacek as well.