The Puccini Festival is a summer Music Festival that takes place every year in Torre del Lago, a small town near Viareggio. The Festival started in 1930 arised by Puccini's desire personally expressed in a letter sent to Giovacchino Forzano who, deeply stunned after the musician's words, decided to realized such idea after the death of the master. So on August 24th 1930 in a temporary theatre realized as a pile-dwelling on the lake, Forzano directed together with Mascagni the Bohème performed by a traveling opera company. The following year one of the most important Opera Festival of the world came to life and about 30 years later the Festival was finally moved inside a theatre built on the lake shore. But, it was in 2008 - on the occasion of the 150° anniversary of Puccini's birth - that the Festival Puccini was revalued and the extraordinary “New Great open-air Theatre” was constructed, a big amphitheatre with a capacity of 3370 spectators. In 2004 the Festival was connected to a special project in order to underline its feature of accurate Musical and Artistic event: “Scolpire l'Opera”, an international happening that combines great contemporary artists' painting and sculpture with music by Giacomo Puccini.
This is a festival that during the years saw the participation of the most important music representatives and gave life to Giacomo Puccini's extraordinary works which represent the most beautiful operas ever composed, such as the Tosca, the Bohème and the Rondine. So,the Festival represents a very awaited event both for music lovers and music specialists coming from all over the world.