I know several people who have attended the Rome Festival in the past. The general consensus is that there is not much instruction, and that the level of singers varied from talented students with career potential to hobbyists with not much formal operatic training. There were no coachings to speak of and some roles were quadruple or even quintuple cast. (Meaning that each person only got to do the role once in performance; the rest of the time they were filling in in the chorus.) If your friend is cast in a role that s/he really wants to do and can do without a lot of help, then this may be a good opportunity. It will likely teach independence and tolerance as the biggest lessons.
That said, spending a summer in Rome can't be too bad. The food is good, the surrounding culture is amazing, and you can't beat the chance to work on your Italian language skills.
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