Italy · Toscana · Lakes
the village on Lake Massaciuccoli where Puccini lived and wrote his operas, with the villa museum, the Belvedere and the open-air Gran Teatro of the Festival, the free beach of the Lecciona among the dunes, and a few minutes away the Passeggiata of Viareggio
Torre del Lago is the part of Viareggio that lies between the sea and Lake Massaciuccoli, and it has two shores: to the west the Marina, with the beach establishments and the dunes of the Lecciona, to the east the lake, wide and shallow, with the Apuan Alps in the distance and a belt of reeds all around. In 1891 Giacomo Puccini came to the shore of the lake, for the coot shooting and for the peace and quiet; at first he rented a few rooms, then in 1899 he bought an old watchtower and turned it into his home, and at Torre del Lago he wrote La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and almost everything else. Today the house is the Villa Museo Puccini, with the piano on which he composed and the chapel where he is buried; in front of it is the Belvedere, the square on the lake redone in 2024, and a little further on the Gran Teatro all'aperto, the open-air theatre where every summer, in July and August, the Puccini Festival stages his operas in front of the water. In summer this is what Torre del Lago is: the sea in the morning, the lake at sunset, the opera in the evening. In the village there is no motorhome area: you sleep in the campsites in the pine woods, between the village and the Marina, all of them open only in summer. Around it are the four experiences on this page: the Puccini Festival, Lake Massaciuccoli with the boardwalks of the LIPU Oasis and the boat trip, the San Rossore Estate, to the south beyond the Serchio, and the Cittadella del Carnevale of Viareggio, a few minutes away by road, where the February floats are built.
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Sleeping
At Torre del Lago there is no motorhome stopover area: you sleep in the campsites in the pine woods, in a row along viale dei Tigli and viale Kennedy between the village and the Marina, three or four kilometres from the Belvedere on the lake and one kilometre from the sea, almost all with a shuttle to the beach in summer. They open in spring and close between September and October. Two more campsites are further north, in the pineta di Levante, the eastern pine wood, on the edge of Viareggio. Open all year, with facilities, there is a private area at the Darsena of Viareggio, La Sirenetta, a quarter of an hour's walk from the centre: it is the stopover for anyone arriving out of season and for the Carnival in February; further up, at Lido di Camaiore, there is also the Parkamaiore area. Outside these places the Comune of Viareggio bans camping with a motorhome throughout its territory, Torre del Lago included.
via Giovanni XXIII, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
inside the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Park, one kilometre from the sea of the Marina di Torre del Lago, with pitches in the shade of the pines, a 25 metre swimming pool, a playground for children, a bar, a restaurant and a shop. Dogs stay on the pitches only, not in the bungalows
viale John Fitzgerald Kennedy 5, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
a campsite in the woods between the village and the Marina, with a camper service for filling and emptying, electricity on the pitches, a swimming pool, a pizzeria open every evening and, from July to the end of August, entertainment for children. The sea is a quarter of an hour on foot or ten minutes by bicycle. Animals are allowed. You leave the pitch by 12:00; it also answers on WhatsApp, at 392 7598188
viale dei Tigli 52, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
the holiday village of the Club del Sole group, formerly called Italia Family Camping Village, with a private beach and a free little train to the sea from 1 June to 8 September. It is the best equipped for anyone travelling with a dog: a beach for dogs, two areas where they can run free, a dog wash and a trainer. In 2027 it is open from 13 May to 27 September
viale dei Tigli 54, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
in the pine wood, with a swimming pool open from 1 June to 31 August, a hot tub, a five-a-side football and beach volleyball court, and in high season entertainment, evenings at the little theatre and a free shuttle bus to the beach. It also answers on the mobile, 347 3796748
viale dei Tigli 51, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
fifty motorhome pitches, in three sizes, with 6 amp electricity and a camper service; the motorhome is left on the pitch. The free beach of the Marina is one kilometre away, along a shady path through the pine wood, and in high season there is a shuttle bus. The entertainment runs from mid June to the end of August
via dei Lecci 105, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
a small campsite in the pineta di Levante, between Torre del Lago and Viareggio, with a swimming pool. The 2026 season ended on 25 September, the 2027 one runs from 8 April to 26 September
via dei Comparini 1, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
the campsite closest to Viareggio, in the pineta di Levante: the operator writes a kilometre and a half from the centre and eight hundred metres from the sea, along an avenue through the pine wood. All in the shade, with a swimming pool from 30 May to 6 September, minigolf, a playground and a shuttle bus from 4 July to 30 August, on which children up to 6 years travel in their own child seat. In 2026 it is open from 1 to 7 April, from 29 April to 27 September and for the long weekend from 29 October to 1 November, and the bar and restaurant closed on 30 August
viale Europa 7/A, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
the only stopover with facilities open all year between Torre del Lago and Viareggio, in an open car park at the Darsena, the old harbour quarter, in front of a free beach, about twenty spaces for vehicles up to 8 metres. Simple facilities: a toilet, a shower, water filling and emptying, low-power electricity. The centre and the Passeggiata are a quarter of an hour's walk away, the Cittadella del Carnevale three kilometres, Torre del Lago nine and a half kilometres by road. You book by phone or on WhatsApp. It is the stopover for the Carnival; in summer, on Saturdays, the music from the bars around carries on late into the night
via Dante Alighieri angolo viale John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 55041 Lido di Camaiore (LU)
the area of the Camaiore parking service, run by the Città di Lucca cooperative, at Lido di Camaiore, a little north of Viareggio, open every day of the year, with electricity, water filling, emptying, a laundry, a sink for washing up, a barbecue and a bathroom for people with a disability; cameras and an attendant on site. You enter and pay at the automatic till, by card too; the operator gives the opening hours as 9:00 to 22:00 and at present does not take bookings. If nobody answers the phone, it says to try on WhatsApp. The sea is a stone's throw away, and the Passeggiata of Viareggio can be reached by bicycle along the seafront
Getting around
At Torre del Lago the motorhome stays at the campsite: the village, the lake and the Gran Teatro can be explored on foot and by bicycle, the Marina is three kilometres away, by bicycle through the pine wood, and Viareggio is five minutes away by train. For Pisa and Lucca the train is the better choice, as it saves looking for a motorhome parking space in town.
Seeing
Torre del Lago has two shores: to the east the lake, with Puccini's villa, the Belvedere and the Gran Teatro all in a row on the shore, to the west the sea, with the Marina and the dunes of the Lecciona. In between, beyond the railway and the Aurelia, the pine wood of the Macchia Lucchese with Villa Borbone. Viareggio is eight kilometres away, and on the other shore of the lake, at Massaciuccoli, there are the Roman villa and the parish church. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Museum · paid entry · 43.83251, 10.30606
viale Giacomo Puccini 266, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
the house on the lake where Puccini lived from 1900 and where he is buried, born from the old watchtower that gave the village its name: he bought it in 1899 with the earnings from Manon Lescaut and La bohème and had it rebuilt in the Liberty style. From the shore he set off to shoot coots and snipe. On the ground floor you see the drawing room with the Förster piano on which he composed, the portraits, the death mask and a Japanese screen, the veranda, the manuscript room, the kitchen and the hunting room, with the guns, the trophies and the boots. Among the rooms is the chapel, made from a small sitting room and decorated with allegories of music, where in 1926 his son Antonio had his father buried; his wife Elvira, Antonio, Antonio's wife and Puccini's granddaughter Simonetta also lie here. Since 31 May 2019 the first floor can be visited too, Puccini Segreto, "the secret Puccini", with the original furniture of the bedrooms, the study and the guest rooms. The villa is looked after by the Fondazione Simonetta Puccini. The individual guided tour must be booked; you go in by turns every forty minutes, and in summer, on Festival days, it is best to arrive in the morning. On the ground floor there is a step with a ramp, on the first floor two staircases. Dogs go in if carried, or stay tied up in the garden; there is a bookshop for visitors only
Viewpoint · free entry · 43.83236, 10.30682
piazzale Belvedere Puccini, 55049 Torre del Lago Puccini (LU)
the square on the lake in front of Puccini's villa, the spot from which you look out over Massaciuccoli. It was redone and reopened in June 2024: the low parapet walls were removed, there is new paving made with local aggregates, four lawn beds with holm oaks and paulownias for shade in summer, benches, a kiosk, and a new jetty on the lake. On the water is the Gazebo that the cavaliere Paolo Triscornia built between 1922 and 1924, where artists used to meet. The bronze statue of Puccini, which used to face the square, is now turned towards the lake. Between the Belvedere and the Gran Teatro is the little harbour, with a sailing centre and a canoe and kayak club. It is the place for sunset, and in summer, on Festival evenings, the way through for people going to the theatre
Monument · 43.83428, 10.30714
the open-air theatre on the shore of the lake, a few hundred metres north of the villa, where the Puccini Festival has been held since 1930, with the Maestro's operas in front of the water he looked at while he wrote them. Today's theatre, designed by Italo Insolera, dates from 2008: a tiered auditorium of 3,370 seats in a twenty hectare park, the Parco della Musica e della Scultura, the park of music and sculpture, where in 2026 the Giardino Butterfly was created, the Butterfly garden, with the sculpture Tensei by Kan Yasuda at its centre
Monument · 43.82990, 10.30659
along viale Puccini, the road that goes down to the lake, stand the villas of the holidaymakers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The largest is Villa Orlando, a little south of Puccini's house: a neo-Gothic hunting residence that the Livorno merchant Piero Kotzian had built in 1869 by the Florentine architect Patchò, with a slate roof instead of terracotta tiles. In 1896 it was bought by Salvatore Orlando, and the family still owns it; the park, of about four hectares, is part of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Park. The neo-Gothic lodge on the avenue was mined by the retreating Germans in 1944. It is private and is seen from outside. On the same avenue is Villa Enrica, today Villa Parodi, from the early twentieth century
Church · free entry · 43.82803, 10.29179
the parish church of the village, on piazza del Popolo, near the station: Wikipedia dates its founding to 28 November 1776. Inside are the frescoes by Ferruccio Orlandi, from the 1950s, restored in the 1990s by his son Lanfranco, and an organ given by Antonio Puccini, the Maestro's son. Nobody publishes the church's opening hours
Monument · 43.84345, 10.26615
via dei Lecci 142, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
the villa in the pine wood between Torre del Lago and Viareggio, on viale dei Tigli, in the middle of the Bourbon estate. It was built from 1822 for Maria Luisa of Bourbon, Duchess of Lucca, to a design by Lorenzo Nottolini: it was never an official residence, but a hunting lodge, then the house of a farming estate and finally a summer villa. In the chapel of the Sepolcreto, the burial chapel, rebuilt in 1885 by Giuseppe Pardini with marble, the sovereigns of Lucca and their descendants are buried, among them Charles Louis of Lucca and Charles III of Parma. The Comune of Viareggio, which was given it in 1985, has restored it with the University of Pisa, and today holds exhibitions, talks and events there; nobody publishes fixed visiting hours. Around it is the Macchia Lucchese, the pine wood of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Park, with a visitor centre near the villa
Beach · free entry · 43.84174, 10.25285
the free beach between the Marina di Torre del Lago and Viareggio, in front of the Lecciona nature reserve, inside the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Park: about two kilometres of sand without beach establishments, with the dunes covered in vegetation and the pine wood behind, one of the few stretches of the Versilia coast left as it was. You get there on foot or by bicycle from the Marina, or from viale dei Tigli, level with Villa Borbone, crossing the pine wood; the dunes are protected. One stretch, between lifeguard points 13 and 15, is set aside for naturism by a 2022 resolution of the Comune
Beach · 43.81902, 10.26061
the village's sea, three kilometres west of the lake beyond the railway and the pine wood: viale Europa, with the restaurants, the pizzerias, the evening bars and the beach establishments, the oldest from the early twentieth century. The beach establishments stand in a row on the beach; to the north the Lecciona begins, to the south the coast runs towards the Bufalina nature reserve. On summer evenings it is the part of the village that wakes up, and the Lungomare by Night leaves from here towards Viareggio and the Versilia
Walk · free entry · 43.86737, 10.24296
piazza Margherita, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
the seafront of Viareggio, eight kilometres from the Belvedere. The wooden huts of the old Passeggiata, the seafront promenade, burned down on the night between 17 and 18 October 1917, and the town rebuilt it in masonry: the architect Alfredo Belluomini and the ceramicist Galileo Chini worked on it, and today Liberty, Art Deco, eclectic and rationalist buildings stand side by side. The Gran Caffè Margherita, with Chini's decorations, has looked as it does today since 1928, and in the same year Belluomini designed the entrance of the Bagno Balena beach establishment. In February the Carnival floats parade along the seafront avenues. At the end, where the Burlamacca canal reaches the sea, is the Darsena, the harbour quarter, with its shipyards, and the Torre Matilde, built in 1534 to defend the harbour, today the town's multimedia museum
Museum · 43.86826, 10.24622
via Niccolò Machiavelli 2, 55049 Viareggio (LU)
the villa that Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, had built in 1822, a stone's throw from the sea, to a design by Giovanni Lazzarini: she lived there until 1825. Restored by the Comune from 1988, it houses the Musei Civici, the town museums: on the upper floor the princess's grand rooms, with frescoes, where exhibitions are held; the Museo Archeologico Alberto Carlo Blanc, with the prehistory of north-western Tuscany told through finds, dioramas and reconstructions, and the Museo degli strumenti musicali Giovanni Ciuffreda, with more than four hundred musical instruments from all over the world. In the north turret is the studio of the painter Alfredo Catarsini, which can be visited by booking. The Lorenzo Viani modern art gallery is not here but in the Palazzo delle Muse, in piazza Mazzini. The winter opening hours and the price are not published
Museum · paid entry · 43.83708, 10.36136
via Pietra a Padule, località Massaciuccoli, 55054 Massarosa (LU)
on the other shore of the lake, at Massaciuccoli, a village of the municipality of Massarosa, nineteen kilometres by road from Torre del Lago: the remains of a Roman villa from the first years of the first century AD, which belonged to the Venulei, a Pisan family who came here on holiday, and of its baths, on the side of the hill above the lake. In the Guglielmo Lera pavilion there are a mosaic with sea creatures and the finds from the excavations, and there is also a mosaic floor of pale marble and obsidian. From the villa you see the lake as far as the sea of the Versilia. Massarosa, the main town, is three and a half kilometres further north, at the foot of the hills of Corsanico, Bargecchia and Pieve a Elici
Church · free entry · 43.83733, 10.36185
the church of Massaciuccoli, on the knoll next to the archaeological area, built on top of the remains of the Roman villa: it is already recorded in the ninth century, small, and in the Romanesque period it was enlarged with three apses; at the end of the nineteenth century it was restored, the façade was plastered and the doorway was framed in white marble. From the terrace in front of the church you look down on the remains of the baths and the lake. Nobody publishes the church's opening hours
When
The year in Torre del Lago is Puccini's: the open-air Festival on the lake in July and August, sometimes until early September, and in winter the Mese Pucciniano, the Puccini Month, with the commemoration at the Belvedere on 29 November. In March the village holds its San Giuseppe fair, and Viareggio celebrates its patron saint and hosts the youth football tournament. Viareggio means above all the Carnival, in February, which comes back in summer with the floats in the Cittadella and the masks in the pine wood; in June, on the other shore of the lake, the lavender and the fields of Massarosa are in flower.
Next: The races at the San Rossore racecourse · 29 Oct - 4 Apron now
the racecourse of the San Rossore Estate races in winter, not in summer: the 2026-2027 season runs from 29 October 2026 to 4 April 2027, when it closes with the hundred and thirty-seventh Premio Pisa. On Sundays and public holidays, between one race and the next, there are shows for children, and on 20 December 2026 Father Christmas with the elves; on 26 December the Premio Goldoni is run. The ticket costs 5 euros, the family ticket 12
on the other shore of the lake the LIPU Oasis, run by the Italian bird protection league, holds guided outings every season, almost all to be booked: in a small marsh boat at dawn or at sunset, by canoe, on foot in the padule, the marsh. In summer the finest is Il Parco delle Stelle, the park of the stars, the walk and the boat trip under the shooting stars, in 2026 on 10 and 11 August at 19:30; on the first weekend of October there is Eurobirdwatch, in 2026 on 3 and 4 October, with free guided observations at the oasis on Sunday morning; and on Sunday 13 December 2026 I colori dell'inverno, the colours of winter, with the boat in the marsh and the walk to the mouth of the Serchio. The programme comes out season by season on the oasis website
the feast of the patron saint of Viareggio: on the evening before, the candlelit procession, on the 25th the solemn mass at the sanctuary of the Santissima Annunziata and then the Fiera del Ciottorino in Old Viareggio, in piazza Santa Maria, which the neighbourhood committee has organised since 1974. The ciottorino is a painted pebble: the schoolchildren decorate them, and the most beautiful becomes the golden ciottorino
Puccini's operas at the open-air Gran Teatro, on the shore of the lake in front of the Maestro's villa: Turandot, Tosca, La bohème, Madama Butterfly and the other titles, with gala evenings and concerts. In 2026, the seventy-second edition, from 11 July to 5 September; in 2027 the seventy-third runs from 9 July to 29 August
the Puccini winter of the Festival and of the Comune of Viareggio, between the anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's death, 29 November, and that of his birth, 22 December. On the morning of 29 November there is the commemoration ceremony on the square of the Belvedere, in front of the Maestro's villa; then concerts, readings and talks at the Auditorium Enrico Caruso and in the Sala Belvedere, almost all with free admission, the Christmas concert of the children's choir on 22 December and the New Year concert of the Festival orchestra on 1 January at midday. The 2025-2026 edition, the twenty-seventh, ran from 18 November to 1 January
the papier-mâché floats, as tall as buildings, that parade along the seafront avenues of Viareggio, with political satire, masked groups and fireworks over the sea on the evening of the first and of the last parade. From the Belvedere it is eight kilometres, five minutes by train. In 2026 the first parade was on 1 February; for the 2027 edition the masked parades are on 30 January and on 4, 7, 9, 14 and 20 February
the Torneo di Viareggio, the Coppa Carnevale, the international football tournament for Italian and foreign under 18 teams, with the final in Viareggio. In 2026, the seventy-sixth edition, from 9 to 23 March
the village feast, between the church of San Giuseppe and viale Puccini, which the Misericordia, the local voluntary association, has organised for more than sixty years with the Comune and the parish: more than a hundred stalls of craftsmen, food and associations from morning to late evening, the volunteers' tordelli, stuffed pasta with meat sauce, rice fritters, the band, Gambe di Merlo, the mask of the Carnevale Puccini, games for children and the stage of the dance schools. In 2025 it was held on Sunday 23 March
two weekends in June along the Via delle Erbe e dei Fiori, the road of herbs and flowers, between Massarosa and Lake Massaciuccoli: the farms open to visitors, with lotus flowers, lavender and aromatic plants, guided walks and boat trips on the lake, organised by the Versilia Verdelago association. In 2026 on 20 and 21 and on 27 and 28 June. During those weeks you can visit for free the fields of the Lavanda farm, in via delle Viottole at Massarosa: in 2026 from 6 June to 12 July, Monday to Thursday 9:00-12:30 and 16:00-20:00, Friday 9:00-12:30 and 16:00-19:00, Saturday and Sunday 9:00-20:00
the historic literary prize of Viareggio: on the first evening the shortlisted authors present their books in piazza Mazzini, and on the second, at 21:00, the ceremony announces the winners for fiction, poetry and non-fiction. In 2026, the ninety-seventh edition, on 23 and 24 July
the Carnival of Viareggio comes back in summer with three free events. In 2026: on Saturday 25 July the prize-winning floats of the winter edition moving again at the Cittadella del Carnevale, from 21:30, with jugglers, music and games for families before the show; on Saturday 1 August, in the afternoon, the parade of the masked groups and the masks in the Pineta di Ponente, the western pine wood, along viale Cadorna and viale Capponi, with Burlamacco, Ondina and the bands; and on 10 August, the night of San Lorenzo, the Notte dei Bozzetti, the night of the sketches, in the Cittadella, where the float builders present the designs of the next year's floats. On the evenings in the Cittadella the Museo del Carnevale stays open from 20:00 to midnight
Remember
Torre del Lago Puccini · part two
and then?
What to do, what to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
What we did starting from here, ordered by driving time.
Festivals and traditions · an evening · 2 minutes away
Festivals and traditions · half a day · 13 minutes away
Walks · half a day · 28 minutes away
Walks · a day · 30 minutes away
At Torre del Lago you eat as in Viareggio: the sea. The town's dish is cacciucco alla viareggina, the fish stew which Visit Tuscany describes as cooked in a cast iron pot, less spicy than the Livorno one and with a sweet base given by the crustaceans and the shellfish; then spaghetti alla trabaccolara, and sparnocchi, mantis shrimps, with beans. The cèe, baby eels, used to be cooked in a frying pan with garlic and sage: today fishing for them is banned, and the ones on sale come from farms. On the lake Puccini went shooting coots and snipe. The sweet of Viareggio is the scarpaccia, the flat courgette tart, which here is made sweet and in Camaiore savoury. Towards Lucca there are buccellato, the ring cake with raisins and aniseed, and torta co' becchi, a shortcrust tart filled with chard, pine nuts and sugar, with its edge pulled into points like birds' beaks; to drink, the wines of the Colline Lucchesi, a DOC since 1968.
The next stop, ordered by driving time.
Distances and times by road, measured with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data.
Looking
27 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.