Within the Walls of the historic city of Lucca stand Piazza Cittadella and Corte San Lorenzo, places full of memories which are directly related to the childhood and early youth of Giacomo Puccini.
The heart of this fascinating journey is the Puccini Museum – Birthplace, where Giacomo Puccini was born on 22 December, 1858. Here he grew up with his sisters, brother and parents, began his musical studies and composing his first works as a youth. He left the family home to continue his studies in Milan, perfecting his vocation and aspiration for the opera. Sold to make up for economic difficulties, the family house owned by Giacomo Puccini returned after the success of Manon Lescaut and has since remained the property of the descendants of the Master, to finally become an asset of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca under the management of the Fondazione Puccini. Today it preserves furniture, documents, music scores and precious objects belonging to the musician, including the Steinway & Sons piano on which he composed many of his works, including: Turandot.
In Piazza Cittadella visitors can admire the bronze Monument to Giacomo Puccini, the work of Vito Tongiani donated to the city by the Association of Industrialists of Lucca in 1994.
Piazza Citadella also houses the Puccini Museum Bookshop, situated on the premises that were the passage for carriages entering Palazzo Mazzarosa, home to the ticket office of the Museum and the sales area for publications, music scores, gadgets, postcards, CDs, DVDs and other souvenirs dedicated to the Master.