Visitation Monastery

In Vicopelago, about 4 kilometers from the Walls of Lucca, lies a special place linked to Giacomo Puccini: the Monastery of the Visitation. In 1887, the nuns of the convent on Via San Nicolao in the historic center purchased the Villa del Real Collegio di Lucca, transforming it into a monastery dedicated to their patron saint, Saint Augustine.

View of the countryside from the first-floor loggia of the Visitation Monastery in Vicopelago. Beyond the arches, on the right is the monastery building, with two farmhouses and trees opposite.

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STREET ADDRESS: Via di Vicopelago and Pozzuolo, 870 - 1032 Vicopelago

A large villa in late Renaissance style, with an adjoining church and vast cultivated lands, whose construction dates back to the 15th century at the behest of two wealthy families of merchants from Lucca, the Balbani and the Bernardini.

The convent remained active for over a century and housed an embroidery school, a knitting workshop, and later a nursery school. In the late 90s, it was abandoned by the order due to a lack of vocations.

In the summer evenings of recent years it has become the "theatre" of an evocative lyrical show, inspired by the characters and the tragic story of Sister Angelica. 

The famous Puccini opera from 1917 is linked to the monastery of Vicopelago because here Iginia Puccini (1856-1922), the Maestro's sister, was an Augustinian nun named Sister Giulia Enrichetta. Puccini was very fond of her and often visited her, thanks to special permission from the curia, which allowed him to visit his "spiritual guide."

The monastic environment, the evocative atmosphere, and Iginia's stories likely inspired him to write his masterpiece. According to some rumors passed down over the years, Puccini previewed the opera for his sister and the other nuns, humming and playing the organ.

Iginia had a good musical culture, which she applied with fervor and delight to the liturgical needs of the monastery. Her brother often gave her gifts, especially packages of organ music and even a score of The West fanciulla, autographed with the dedication "To my little nun Iginia affectionately Giacomo Torre del Lago 23 Jan 911". A harmonium from the “Tedeschi & Raffael / Milan” factory was sent to the monastery, donated by Puccini to his sister on 5 January 1921.