Giacomo Puccini and Versilia: a great love story

Discovering Torre del Lago, where the great composer lived

Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca but did not much like city life. So it was that in 1891, he moved to Versilia and chose for his buen retiro the village that would later take on his name: Torre del Lago.
Now also known as Torre del Lago Puccini, the town nestled on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli was ideal for the composer, who loved hunting in the marshy area, admiring the extraordinary sunsets and seeing the Apuan Alps reflected in the large body of water.

On the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli - Credit: ArC@dina

The Maestro never left his lake. It was here that the open-air Gran Teatro Puccini was built in his honor, right on the water, where his operas are performed every summer during the Puccini Festival.

For his home on the lake, Puccini chose the very tower that gave the village its name, renovating it, building a typically Art Nouveau villa that was completed in 1893. Today, you can enter the rooms of the Villa Puccini Museum where the Maestro would compose music and host his friends. You can admire his piano, the extensive collection of photographs and letters sent by personalities such as Toscanini, Caruso and even Edison, all great admirers of the composer from Lucca.

Visiting Torre del Lago, it’s easy to imagine the composer strolling in the park overlooking the lake, that of the splendid Villa Orlandi and home to a close friend of his, dreaming of meeting his heroines, bringing to life in his mind the characters we have loved so much, from Tosca to Madama Butterfly, all composed here, taking in the peace and absorbing the beauty of these timeless places.

1.Folaghe

Giacomo Puccini - Credit: Centro studi Giacomo Puccini

The Maestro even became passionate about cooking game. Returning from his hunting trips, he would get together with friends to roast pheasants and ducks. Among his favorite recipes was Folaghe alla Puccini, a dish of waterfowl, common in the lake areas of Versilia. Currently, hunting waterfowl is banned but writings by the famous composer remain to this day, listing the ingredients and methods for creating the dish.