The Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago

TORRE del Lago Puccini is a hamlet of Viareggio, one of the most beautiful resort towns of Tuscany, and is only 18 kilometers (km) north of Pisa and the Galileo Galilei International Airport; 26 km from the medieval town of Lucca, with its intact ring of walls and 80 km west of Florence.The Great Open Air Theatre Giacomo Puccini was situated right in front of the house museum of maestro Puccini, where his remains lie and where tourists can see artifacts and memorabilia of Puccini's glorious life and artistic career. The Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago is one of the most anticipated events of the rich cultural life of Tuscany and is one of the most important festivals in Italy and the world. It is the only festival dedicated to Puccini that takes place every summer — in July and August — in the places that inspired Puccini to master his immortal melodies.Born in 1930, the Puccini Festival, with the passing of the years, has become a more prestigious appointment that draws spectators from all over the world, who can listen to the greatest opera stars, under the direction of important conductors and admire extraordinary productions cared for by the most famous directors of Puccini's operas.Puccini's operas are staged by the lake Massaciuccoli, in a large arena surrounded by the Parco della Musica, which houses sculptures by internationally renowned artists and by the uncontaminated nature of the Regional Park of Migliarino San Rossore and Massaciuccoli.The Puccini Festival Grand Theater The open-air grand theater, with the evocative backdrop of Lake Massaciuccoli in its full capacity of 3,400 seats, will also be the natural setting for the productions of Puccini's operas — just a few steps away from the Villa Mausoleum, where the maestro Puccini lived and composed his immortal works and is now buried.The Puccini Festival of Torre del Lago thus confirms itself, once again, as one of the most eagerly awaited events in the cultural offer of Tuscany, and among the most internationally recognized. It is the only festival in the world dedicated to the composer Puccini, which attracts thousands of spectators every year to the very places that inspired the maestro Puccini with his immortal melodies.Four Puccini titles on stage between July and August for 14 magical evenings of opera in the unique setting of the Gran Teatro all'aperto Giacomo Puccini.Puccini and Torre del LagoA deep love that lasted 30 years bound Giacomo Puccini to the charming village of Torre del Lago, which has since been renamed "Torre del Lago Puccini" in his honor, to the pride of all its inhabitants.Puccini was born in Lucca on Dec. 22, 1858 in the house in Via di Poggio. He was the last of a family of four generations of musicians, originally from Celle.When Puccini came to Torre del Lago at the end of the 19th century, it was to find a picturesque and quiet place, where his creative genius could flourish. He was immediately attracted by the lake and the small village, whose houses were reflected in the gray-blue waters of the Massaciuccoli river — less than 2 km from the sandy beaches of Versilia — and was warmly welcomed by the people of Torre del Lago.On his arrival, the young composer was greeted by a welcoming committee at the small railway station. The numerous artists, mostly painters, with whom he would later found the Club della Bohème, gathered around him, happy to count him among them as an already famous personality.These were years of extraordinary artistic fervor that involved the whole region; Florence, Livorno, and also Lucca, were in contact with Paris and the European capitals. Ideas and people circulated voraciously and painters and musicians met in homes and cafés.But then, to return to the roots of their inspiration, the light, the purest sounds, they went to places where nature still offered strong sensations: sun-drenched beaches, cool pinewoods and the quiet lake. In other words, it was Eden. Puccini had two great passions: music and hunting; for him, Lake Massaciuccoli was the ideal place to practice both.He arrived in 1891, aged 33, and decided to settle there; first renting rooms and then having a villa built, which he moved into in 1900. The success of Manon Lescaut (1893) and La Bohème (1896) gave him the money to buy the house of his life, an old watchtower (hence the name Torre del Lago), which he completely renovated.With the permission of the owner, the Marquis Ginori, he also filled in part of the lake shore to create a garden and a road and landing stage — from which he went hunting, especially for teal and woodcock — in front of the house.The house, which is open to the public, still bears witness to this: the pianos he used to compose his music, the mementos of his great performances and the prizes he received for his international triumphs. There are also paintings by his friend, the painter Ferruccio Pagni, who visited the musician along with other artists such as Plinio Nomellini and the Tommasi brothers.Puccini remained in Torre del Lago for 30 years and composed all his major works there, including Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), La Fanciulla del West (1910), La Rondine (1917) and Il Trittico (1918). In 1921, he moved to the new villa he had built in Viareggio, but he only stayed there for 3 years until his death in 1924.At the request of his son, the musician was buried in a chapel built in the old house on the lake. The lake also remembers the stories of the past: it can be explored by boat, departing in front of the Villa Puccini. The light is the same as before and so is the tranquility.Today, the lake is part of the Regional Park of Migliarino-San Rossore Massaciuccoli, comprising 24 thousand hectares of beaches, pine forests and marshland that host a rich birdlife.This interweaving of the lake, Puccini and music is the result of the Puccini Festival, which has been held on the lakeshore since 1930, wanted by Puccini before he died and entirely dedicated to his works.Villa PucciniGiacomo Puccini was born in Lucca on Dec. 22, 1858, into a family of five generations of musicians. After the early death of his father, he became the organist of Lucca's Duomo. He studied at Lucca's conservatory and later — thanks to a scholarship from Queen Margherita of Savoy — he moved to Milan, where he attended the conservatory "G. Verdi," studying with Amilcare Ponchielli.He graduated in Composition in 1883 with the work, Capriccio Sinfonico. During the Milanese years, the maestro lived like a young bohemian until he met the publisher Giulio Ricordi, which marked the beginning of his career as a musician. His first works were then created: Le Villi (1884) and Edgar (1889). Meanwhile, through the union with Elvira Bonturi, the Maestro's only son, Antonio, was born in 1886.In 1891, the Puccini family moved to Torre del Lago for the summer, an ideal place for hunting and for musical inspiration. Leaving Torre del Lago due to the spoiling of the environment by a power plant fueled by the peat of the lake, Puccini moved to Viareggio in 1921 where he began his last work, Turandot.His sudden death on Nov. 29, 1924 in Brussels, following a throat operation, unfortunately left his final work unfinished. The master was buried in the chapel built by his Antonio in his beloved house in Torre del Lago.Villa Puccini, transformed into a museum in 1925 by his Antonio, retains its original appearance intact. In the omnibus room or common room, visitors can find the Förster piano, the portraits of the Maestro in different periods of his life, the funeral mask and the screen, a precious gift from Japan.The other rooms such as the veranda, the manuscripts room and the kitchen collect objects of daily life: honors and awards from all over the world; paintings by "Macchiaioli painters" friends, life and hunting companions; portraits of friends and collaborators of the master and his last words, written by his hand after the throat operation. In the hunting room are kept precious rifles, hunting trophies, shoes and boots.In 1926, Giacomo Puccini was buried in the chapel, consisting of a small sitting room and decorated with musical allegories. Today, he rests alongside his family: his wife, Elvira; his son, Antonio; his daughter-in-law, Rita and his granddaughter, Simonetta.In the museum, which has remained unchanged since its inception, it is possible to find the ambiance in which Giacomo Puccini lived. Walking through the rooms, visitors can savor the atmosphere of this unique location where the maestro, in the silence of nature, found inspiration for his immortal melodies.It was the year 1900 when Villa Puccini in Torre del Lago — today Villa Museo — was inaugurated to welcome the Maestro's family, who lived there for over 20 years. 119 years later, starting from May 31, 2019, the upper floor "lake view" residence shines again in all its simple refinement with original fabrics and furnishings, as Giacomo and Elvira Puccini designed it at the beginning of the last century.In 2015, thanks to the restoration commissioned by Simonetta Puccini, granddaughter and last heir of the maestro, the bedroom of the Puccini couple was restored back to its original 1905 appearance.In that year, it was Giacomo Puccini who took care of the renovation of the furnishings, preferring the shades of green that were inspired by the luxuriant nature that surrounded the residence at the time.The first floor, divided into two areas, is made up of seven rooms.On the north side, there are three bedrooms and one washbasin room. Giacomo, Elvira and Antonio resided here. On the south side, in addition to some closets, there are three large rooms that were often used by their relatives, frequent guests of the Puccini household.Among these were Ida, Elvira's sister and Giacomo's sister-in-law and Fosca, Elvira's daughter from her first marriage and stepdaughter of the maestro, who lived with the Puccini family until the time of her marriage to Totò Leonardi in 1902.Following the restoration of the bedroom and the stairwell, the restoring of furnishings and pictorial decorations of other rooms on the first floor was completed. Among these are included the Master's study, one guest room, one washbasin room, a sitting room and the Heron Room.The opening of these spaces to the public has allowed visitors to be introduced to those familiar places suspended in time, immersed in the daily intimacy and atmosphere of the house so pleasing to the composer. The bright and practical study retains the wardrobes, a comfortable armchair, the large writing desk, the beautiful chandelier and a painting by Francesco Fanelli featuring the "Lake of Massaciuccoli". All these are original furnishings, as are those in the room to the left of the stairs and those in the small living room that hosted Giacomo and Elvira's relatives.The bedroom of Antonio, the Heron Room, today holds furniture and objects that came from Lucca, Puccini's birthplace. What was once the guest room contains the furniture from the Villa di Chiatri: a double bed, a wardrobe, two night stands, a French porcelain clock by Sevres and a chest of drawers with a dressing table in maple wood, enriched by dark wood carvings.The floor is covered with linoleum that was purchased by the Maestro in Detroit, United States of America in the early 1900s; it has a particular parquet effect. The washbasin room, connected to the master bedroom, is clear proof of the refinement and modernity of the proprietor.It is equipped with running water and the interior preserves a towel holder, linen sheets with the initials "GP" on them and a beautiful leather and wood screen with his works' heroines shown on it.A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE PUCCINI FESTIVAL FOUNDATION On behalf of the Mayor of the City of Viareggio Giorgio Del Ghingaro, of the President of the Puccini Festival Foundation Luigi Ficacci and of the entire Board of Directors, as well as myself, I am honored to express our gratitude to His Excellency Ambassador Marco Clemente for the outstanding work carried out in Manila to promote and disseminate the figure and works of Giacomo Puccini. I would also like to extend this gratitude to all the institutions and authorities of the Philippines that have supported this wonderful project. 2024 represents for our country, for our Foundation, a new opportunity to celebrate Giacomo Puccini. For our Foundation and for the Community of Viareggio and Torre del Lago, it is a renewed opportunity to proudly acknowledge that we hosted one of the greatest opera composers in history and to safeguard his legacy. For our Foundation and for the Puccini Festival, it is also a source of pride to celebrate a genius who, through his music, has been able to speak all the languages of the world. His music allows us to celebrate values of equality, freedom, friendship, and peace among peoples; once again, his music provides an opportunity for social and cultural enrichment, for dialogue and understanding between different peoples and cultures. I would say that this is the most important message of Puccini's legacy, and it is with this spirit that the Puccini Festival Foundation has embraced the proposal of the Italian Embassy in Manila to celebrate Giacomo Puccini. To all the artists who participated in the project, I would like to extend an invitation to visit Torre del Lago and attend the Puccini Festival, which every year is proud to welcome spectators from all over the world who have the opportunity to rediscover in our performances the commitment to safeguard the immense heritage that Giacomo Puccini entrusted to us.Franco MorettiGeneral Director