The extremely close relationship between Giacomo Puccini and Lake Massaciuccoli began precisely at Massaciuccoli, probably during an outing with friends. His subsequent settlement in Torre del Lago and his unquenched passion for hunting on the lake had to do with the Marquis Carlo Benedetto Ginori-Lisci, owner since 1887 of the lake and surrounding lands.

The Villa Ginori-Lisci at “La Piaggetta”, renovated in the late 19^th century, connotes a picturesque landscape with red facing and with the poly-lobed profiles of the openings in that “Tuscan neo-Gothic” style which was so pleasing to Puccini that he chose it for the villas of Chiatri and then Viareggio.

The dock of the villa was of course an ideal landing place when Puccini crossed the lake, and once, after a frightening car accident, it was rather the starting point for a boat that brought the composer back to Torre del Lago.

The villa was much frequented by the composer even further on, especially for the affection that bound him to Bianca Maria, daughter of Carlo Benedetto, whom he had seen as a little girl and thought a fine connoisseur of music (he often asked for her views on his new works and never failed to procure her tickets for various theatres).