Puccini's Lucca (Self Guided), Lucca

One of the greatest musical talents of mankind, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, was born and spent a substantial part of his life in the Tuscan city of Lucca. Today the legacy of Puccini resonates all over the world and even more so here.

Puccini's ancestors, also musicians, moved to Lucca in 1719. The future maestro was born in a house that had belonged to his family since 1815 – Casa di Puccini (Puccini's Birth Home) on Corte San Lorenzo is now a museum, featuring much the same decoration and furniture as when the Puccinis lived here.

Throughout his life Puccini enjoyed close friendship of Alfredo Caselli, owner of cafe in the historic heart of the city. Cafe Caselli, now known as Caffè Di Simo, was for many years a gathering spot for local intellectuals, artists and musicians.

The Institute of Music that Puccini had attended from 1872 to 1880, now called the Instituto Boccherini, contains many examples of his early work, including a valuable collection of his childhood compositions, as well as the piano and harmonium on which he had practiced.

The Cathedral of San Martino – Puccini’s personal involvement with this temple started when he was at the seminary school. Back in the early 1870s Puccini took part in the Festival of Santa Croce at the cathedral, first as a boy singer, then as a member of the choir, and later as a deputy organist.

The Teatro del Giglio, founded in 1675 – once the cultural point of reference all over Tuscany, is where Puccini rehearsed and attended his opera shows, the most famous of which was Madama Butterfly (1904).

If you wish to follow in the footsteps of the great composer in his hometown, consider taking this self-guided walking tour of Lucca.