Villa Puccini in Viareggio
In 1921, Giacomo Puccini moved to Viareggio, to the large villa he had built near the western pine forest and overlooking the square that now bears his name. Here he lived the last years of his life.
STREET ADDRESS: Viale Michelangelo Buonarroti corner Piazza Puccini, Viareggio
The villa, designed according to the precise wishes of its demanding owner, is constructed of exposed brick and stone, and along the north and east sides, panels depicting masks and reliefs decorate the attic's crowning strip. An elegant double staircase leads to a beautiful open portico with stone pillars and wooden transennae, which leads to the main entrance on the piano nobile.
The villa is surrounded by a spacious Art Nouveau garden with terracotta paths and stone planters. The shrubs and plants, dating back to the villa's construction, are typical of the Mediterranean scrub: pines, holm oaks, and hedges of pittosporum and laurel, a natural extension of the pine forest opposite. Puccini was meticulous in maintaining the garden and installed a fixed micro-irrigation system, one of the first of its time.
The villa's interiors were organized according to the Maestro's needs: a wooden staircase allowed him to go directly from his bedroom to his basement studio, the most intimate and protected area of the house, away from the noise of the city, ideal for artistic creation. The studio was furnished with a small table, two armchairs flanking the fireplace, and the famous Steinway grand piano, today at Puccini Museum - His birthplace in Lucca. From the study, a small glass door leads directly to the living room, with red wallpaper and dark-colored furniture and a corner sofa with red cushions. Puccini, a man in step with the times and technology, had a modern radiator heating system installed in the villa, making it even more comfortable during the long days spent composing the unforgettable arias of his final masterpiece.
This is remembered as the House of Turandot and on the north side of the building a plaque, placed on December 7, 1924, reads: “The community of Viareggio promises to consecrate to GIACOMO PUCCINI the house and forest that were the palace and garden of the splendid Queen Turandot.”