A magical festival of Puccini opera during July and August at the open-air theatre of Torre del Lago on the shores of Massaciuccoli Lake, an hour and 15 minutes drive from Villa San Michele, between Viareggio and Pisa.
Puccini was born in Lucca in 1858 and died in Brussels, Belgium, in 1924. He was originally interred in Milan but in 1926 his son Antonio had his remains transferred to Torre del Lago to a little private chapel in the lakeside villa where the he wrote his masterpieces.
The Puccini Festival welcomes about 40.000 spectators every year to its open-air theatre, just a stone's throw from the Villa Mausoleum, to enjoy the masterpieces of this musical genius.
The first Puccini opera performed in Torre del Lago was La Bohème 1930 organised by two of the leading cultural figures of the day, Pietro Mascagni and Giovacchino Forzano.
