Lucca, the city of Giacomo Puccini
It may not be known to everyone, but Lucca was the birthplace of the famous composer Giacomo Puccini, one of the greatest opera composers in world musical history.
The Tuscan city still honors the artist’s memory, so much that there are many places related to his life that can be visited in Lucca, as well as several musical events that can be attended.
The Puccini Museum
Those who want to learn more about the composer’s life cannot miss the Puccini Museum, which is the house where Giacomo Puccini was born. Here the artist spent the early years of his life and adolescence together with his parents, sisters, and brother. It was also the place where the artist began his early musical studies and composed his first works.
Sold by the family to compensate for financial difficulties, the house returned to the artist’s ownership after the latter achieved fame. Since then, it has remained the property of the Maestro’s descendants to eventually come under the inheritance of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca and the management of the Giacomo Puccini Foundation.
Today it has been transformed into what we know as the Puccini Museum, a museum dedicated to the life of the great artist. The house preserves the original furnishings, sheet music, and precious objects belonging to the musician. Famous is the Steinway & Sons piano on which he composed many of his works, including the Turandot.
There are also several letters, paintings, photographs, sketches, memorabilia, and valuable documents documenting the composer’s work, such as drafts of the librettos of Tosca and Fanciulla del West, with autograph annotations and musical sketches. Prominent among the gifts is Turandot’s costume, worn by Maria Jeritza for her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1926.
The museum’s ticket office is housed inside Palazzo Mazzarosa, an old aristocratic residence dating back to the 16th century. Here is also the Bookshop, where you can purchase a wide range of publishing products, sheet music, gadgets, postcards, CDs, DVDs, and other souvenirs dedicated to the Maestro.
Puccini and concerts: the annual international festival
In order to celebrate the great artist and his music, the Puccini e la sua Lucca International Festival was born: a rich program of concerts that takes place annually in Lucca.
The festival has never suffered a setback since 2004, even with the arrival of the pandemic, and is attended by an average of more than 50,000 spectators a year.
Puccini e la sua Lucca International Festival aims to raise awareness of the great artist’s works through different programs. Recitals and concerts in downtown Lucca are held throughout the year, featuring internationally renowned singers and pianists. If you’re visiting Lucca, we strongly suggest not missing them.
Discover all the places connected to the memory of the great Maestro Puccini in Lucca and book your stay at our guesthouse L’Antica Bifore. Right in the historic center, L’Antica Bifore is located in one of the city’s signature medieval towers, the Torre del Travaglio, and is ready to welcome you for a memorable vacation.
