Giacomo Puccini lands: music, art, wine & bike

After being welcomed by a delicious coffee at your arrival at the hotel, meet your guide in Lucca and start your tour to discover Giacomo Puccini and his city. Visit the Renaissance Church of San Paolino, the parish church that Giacomo Puccini attended frequently. Among the many works of art, it is also possible to observe one of the first organs that the Maestro played as a young boy.

Stop in Piazza Cittadella by the commemorative statue of the Maestro and visit the Puccini Museum (Puccini’s Birth Home).

After the museum, head for the centrally-located Piazza San Michele and then continue to Piazza Napoleone. The late-Renaissance building, which flanks the square, is where the government of the former Republic of Lucca was located. Many celebratory concerts in honor of the Republic were performed inside this building, written by the various chapel masters, many of whom were ancestors of Giacomo Puccini.

Then, visit Teatro del Giglio and the Cathedral of San Martino, and after that stop at the music conservatory, named after another famous composer of Lucca, Luigi Boccherini. Thanks to this important musical institute, not only the Puccini family, but new generations of musicians are being educated and formed to embark upon a serious and prestigious musical career.

Lunch at a restaurant in the city center followed by free time in the city.

In the afternoon, visit the historic atelier located in an elegant palace in Lucca’s historic center. Here, tailors still craft their works entirely by hand. A living atelier of rare magnificence and class, a place where one can be amazed by those who mastered the art of tailoring and wear one of their dresses and suits. 

Dinner at a highly recommended restaurant in the city centre and return to the hotel for the night.

After a good night’s sleep, hop on your e-bike for a stroll along the Serchio park – Puccini bikeway, until you reach Villa Reale of Marlia, the country residence of Princess Elisa Baciocchi Bonaparte in the early 19th century. Leave your bicycle for a pleasant walk in the park among the centuries-old trees and the villa’s architecture: Pan’s grotto, the music gazebo, the 1920s swimming pool, the romantic lake, the famous Teatro di Verzura (Green Theatre) – where a young Niccolò Paganini, a guest of the princess, performed -, the Spanish garden, the Water Theatre and the fish pond. After that, visit the interiors of the villa, still furnished with furniture and tapestries of that period, and the Clock House.

Mid-morning you set off again on a route through the hills of Lucca, along the Strada del Vino e dell’Olio (the Wine and Oil Road), through the countryside shaped by vineyards and olive groves and flanked by the walls of the historic villas of Lucca, from which we can glimpse the architecture and gardens.

Along the way you will come across some Romanesque churches where you can stop for a short visit and the Quercia del Carrara, a monumental oak that inspired Pinocchio’s tale.

At lunchtime, reach a historic winery in Montecarlo, located in a panoramic spot. From there, the view opens up over the vineyards and you can enjoy the skyline of the medieval village and the fortress.

After visiting the winery, you will be served an aperitif in the vineyards with a quick wine tasting, followed by a lunch based on typical products from the Piana di Lucca.

(some rooms for refreshments will be available to those who have participated in the bike tour, before lunch)

At the end of the tour, enjoy an aperitif with a short wine tasting followed by lunch based on typical local products at a restaurant in the historic centre of Lucca.

In the afternoon, visit the medieval village of Montecarlo, the Cerruglio fortress, one of the smallest theatres in Italy, and then set off for a short walk through the streets of the village and along the castle walls. Here, have a break and admire the view over the Piana di Lucca and Monte Pisano.

In the late afternoon, get back to your hotel and get ready for the evening. Dinner will be served in a highly recommended restaurant of Lucca’s city centre.

In the morning, a guide will accompany you to discover the medieval village of Altopascio and the medieval hospital along the Via Francigena.