Amy McPherson goes in search of Puccini in Lucca and Viareggio on a bike and walking tour.
There is something very poetic about Lucca, a small city about an hour’s train ride away from Pisa. The ancient centre, encircled in the medieval walls that remain intact to this day, is pleasant and full of intriguing corners, a place where it is a pleasure to get lost.
As I zigzagged among the narrow cobblestone alleyways between the piazzas and churches, I hear the faint screech of the violin practising the emotional, bone melting melody of Nessun Dorma, a song from the opera Turandot by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. It is a dramatic story with a melodramatic plot, and I felt rather fitting that I should be strolling the streets, experiencing this city which must have been walked on by the composer himself.
A Lucca walk into Puccini’s world
The city of Lucca in Tuscany is commemorating 100 years since the death of her most famous son. Born locally in Lucca in a mustard yellow house tucked among a hub of a museum complex, Giacomo Puccini is one of Italy’s most respected operatic composers. His birth house is now Puccini Museum, and is where I learned that having come from a prominent musical family, he almost didn’t become a composer. The museum is dedicated to the story of the Puccini family in Lucca, the passion of Giacomo Puccini and how he became the opera godfather.
Still widely celebrated in Tuscany and beyond, Giacomo’s life has been written as film documentaries and books. Most recently, a children’s book where three children learn about the Master of operas through a violin maker.
Alexandra Onorato, the author of this lovely illustrated book, is running a special walking tour around Lucca in memory of Puccini until the end of October this year. The tour starts at the birth house, in and out of Lucca’s main sights to places associated with Giacomo Puccini, such as the cathedral where he sang in the choir as a child, Istituto Boccherini, a private musical academy he attended for eight years and the ancient Caffè Di Simo, once operated under a different name and owned by Giacomo’s close friend Alfredo Caselli. This is where Giacomo socialised with fellow musicians, artists and intellectuals, and is also a lovely place for a leisurely coffee today.
Of course, when in the city of Giacomo Puccini, especially during the warmer months, there’s always a concert or two happening around the city. The Puccini e la sua Lucca Festival is a long running festival dedicated to Puccini, with daily concerts between April and October each year in the San Giovanni church featuring local musicians. For the big ticket event, the annual Puccini Festival is celebrating its 70th edition this year. Located at the Puccini Villa on Lake Massaciuccoli closer to the coast, this is a spectacle not to be missed by fans of Puccini’s operas.
The villa and the coast
Puccini’s villa on Lake Massaciuccoli is home to another museum dedicated to the composer. Giacomo bought the property in 1899 and moved in with the family after some renovations. He wrote much of his works here, taking in inspirations from the nature and tranquillity of the lake’s surrounds. The property also includes a chapel, where Giacomo is buried. It is on the grounds of the Villa where the annual Puccini Festival is held and is the most visited sight for visitors coming to Lucca to learn about the opera maestro.
However, what most don’t know, is that he also owned a small villa on the coast, in the town of Viareggio. Giacomo bought the land and built this villa around 1915, and later moved here in 1921 when the family villa on Lake Massaciuccoli became too busy due to the establishment of the peat industry. Unfortunately this villa is a private property and has been under renovation with no confirmed estimate completion date.
It was here, in this small villa where he composed his now most recognisable work – Turandot – which was, unfortunately left unfinished due to his unexpected death following a throat infection. The final two scenes of the opera was finished by Franco Alfano, a younger composer and premiered post-humorously two years after Giacomo’s death.
Viareggio: Sea and Carnival
Having travelled to Viareggio, the lively seaside resort of Tuscany, I noticed the change in atmosphere. Gone are the gentle and solemn air of Lucca, there is a heightened sense of party vibe in Viareggio.
You guessed it, this is the home to one of Italy’s most well-known Carnivals – the Viareggio Carnevale, which happens in February each year, attracting more than 500,000 people worldwide each year for the party!
Visiting on a cool April day however, it feels relaxed. The cool wind is creating a nice swell giving surfers a run for their time and all along the promenade are visitors strolling and browsing the shops. I take refuge from the sun in the small patch of pine forest opposite Puccini’s villa. The Tuscany coast was once lined with Stone Pines (also referred to as Umbrella Pines) planted in the 19th Century by the Lorenas, grand dukes of Tuscany.
Most of these forests have been cut down to make way for urbanisation, with patches of wild forests still remain around the Pisa coast down south. In Viareggio, this patch of forest has become popular with locals for a spot of jogging and cycling. With the sea breeze from one side and the lush green outlook on the other, this is possibly also the reason Giacomo chose the spot where he had built his final villa.
Tell Me More About Puccini in Lucca and Viareggio
Getting to Lucca and Viareggio
The closest international airport is Pisa, where there are regular trains from Pisa Centrale to Lucca and Viareggio.
Walk around Lucca with Puccini – Visit Tuscany
Puccini e la sua Lucca Festival
Connect from Pisa to Lucca with Puccini
A newly established cycle route connects Puccini’s hometown Lucca to the sea gives active travellers a way to cycle and enjoy the Serchio river and surrounding nature just as Puccini had. This is a flat route suitable for most cyclists.
Tour the Puccini Cycle Route with Smile and Ride
