Torre del Lago Puccini

The onIy outlying ward of Viareggio is Torre del Lago, a small centre on the edge of Lake Massaciuccoli, famous for Giacomo Puccini's presence there from 1891 to 1921, when he moved to Viareggio.
At Torre del Lago, the Maestro, already undermined by the illness which would cut his life short three years later, found the air of the peat bogs too unhealthy to stay.
On the ruins of the ancient Guinigi Tower, the musician ordered the construction of a villa which at the time bordered on the lake, while today it stands at a distance of a few tens of metres.
The interior, left as it was, preserves many mementos of Puccini, such as the piano where his most famous operas were born, numerous musical arrangements and scores, his rifle collection, and the valuable collection of Liberty furniture.
In a chapel on the inside of the villa, the remains of Puccini are conserved.


The archducal villa of the Bourbons

The archducal villa of the Bourbons Nearby is the interesting archducal villa of the Bourbons with its beautiful surroundings and centuries-old pines.
At Maria Luisa of Bourbon's wishes, the villa was designed by Lorenzo Nottolini, her trusted architect, as a hunting lodge. It was supposed to have been part of the sumptuous royal palace that the Spanish Infanta intended to build in Viareggio, after raising its ranch to that of city.
The project never came about as her successor, Carlo Ludovico preferred to use the funds to construct aqueducts in Lucca, after 1824.

The villa, site of many events tied to the Puccini Festival, includes a beautiful chapel built in 1849 by Gheri, with valuable paintings and beautiful marble ornaments. There, the monumental tombs of Carlo Ill Bourbon, the Duke of Parma, and Carlo Ludovico, last Duke of Lucca, are conserved.