Torre del Lago Puccini: Lake Massaciuccoli without the Versilia crowds

Just a few kilometres from Versilia's crowded beach clubs, Torre del Lago Puccini faces the opposite direction: toward the shallow, still water of Lake Massaciuccoli, what remains of an ancient lagoon formed between the Arno and Serchio rivers thousands of years ago. The village took its current name in 1938, honouring Giacomo Puccini, who chose this corner of Tuscany to build his home and compose much of his work.

The composer's villa overlooks the lake itself and is now a museum, managed for years by the Puccini family. In the villa's chapel rest the maestro, his wife and his son. Nearby, the open-air Gran Teatro hosts the Puccini Festival every summer, staging his operas in the very place that inspired them.

Beyond the lake, which you can explore by boat or from the belvedere, the area has a natural pine forest and Lecciona beach, far less crowded than the equipped lidos of glossier Versilia. It's a good base for anyone who wants the Tuscan coast without the promenade scene of Forte dei Marmi: same sea, different pace.

It's best to avoid peak summer if you're after quiet, especially during the Puccini Festival (late July-August), when the village gets lively. Spring and early autumn remain the calmest times to enjoy the lake.

Getting there

Torre del Lago Puccini is a hamlet of Viareggio, in the province of Lucca, with its own railway station on the Tyrrhenian line. Lucca is about 25 km away.