The very first opera I ever saw was Verdi's Aida. I was perhaps 10 or 11 years old. The staging, by the Kirov Opera in Saint Petersburg, Russia, wasn't quite as opulent as this one by Teatro alla Scala. Still, I instantly became a lifelong fan of opera. Watch this scene and imagine the impression it would make on a 10-year-old.
Opera is one of those art forms where being 'over the top' is absolutely imperative. And when it comes to being over the top, no one excels more than Verdi. Every Verdi opera is like an $800 bottle of cognac: excessive, yet entirely worth it.