Villa Puccini in Chiatri

In the small village of Chiatri on the hills of Massarosa, Giacomo Puccini, after the successes of Manon Lescaut and La Bohème, purchased a villa in a splendid panoramic position in 1898 and had it completely rebuilt.

The facade of the Neo-Renaissance-style Villa Puccini in Chiatri, surrounded by a garden. It is built of red brick with mullioned windows with white columns and brick and white marble arch decorations. The two-story villa is accessed by an external staircase with a small terrace.

STREET ADDRESS: Chiatri Street, Massarosa

The Maestro described the view from the hill as follows: “From up there you can see an enchanting sight: the coast, from Livorno to La Spezia; the Arno and Serchio rivers; Corsica, on clear days, the islands of Gorgona and Capraia, and also the scrubland of San Rossore, Migliarino, and the Bourbon scrubland of Lucca.”

The villa, designed by engineer Giuseppe Puccinelli, is in Tuscan neo-Gothic style, with exposed red brick, mullioned windows with polychrome decoration on the first floor, and an elegant marble staircase leading to the main entrance.

The interior, with a large study room and lounges for conversation, was furnished according to the Maestro's personal taste, who chose light, lacquered Art Nouveau furniture made by the renowned Florentine furniture makers Berardi and Tedeschi. 

As in the composer's later residences, the strong presence of nature and greenery could not be missing, which in the villa in Chiatri was a large garden of holm oaks and olive trees.

Puccini loved this house deeply, for him it was a place of rest and peace, where you can work in peace and relax in your free time with hunting trips in the company of good friends. In the villa of Chiatri he composed a large part of the first act of The West fanciulla, during one of his few stays in the summer of 1908He lived here only for short periods of time, because the place was too lonely and silent for his wife Elvira.

Today, the house is privately owned and closed to the public. On clear days, you can still climb up there to admire the magnificent views of Lake Massaciuccoli, the green plains stretching to the sea, and a picturesque glimpse of the Apuan Alps, reliving the emotions and atmosphere of peace and tranquility that the Maestro loved so much.