Giacomo’s Room with a View

Weekends in Lucca are full of things to do! Tomorrow (Sunday) we will join hundreds of other cyclists for the 3rd Annual Puccini Bike Ride. Since our free ‘Ride’ registration comes with an admission discount to several Puccini sites in town, we decided to take advantage of ‘lo sconto’ today (Saturday) and visited the birthplace and childhood home of Giacomo Puccini. The modest home is near Piazza San Michele and the statue of the Archangel perched atop San Michele Church can be seen peeking above the rooftops from their top floor (featured photo). The multi-floor apartment / museum is furnished with librettos and music compositions from Puccini’s operas including his earlier, lesser known “failed’ works, his grand piano on which he composed “Turandot”, photos & letters (he was an avid photographer & correspondent), duck hunting decoys (he loved hunting), his elegant cashmere coat (he was a total fashionista), the garrett set from ‘La Boheme’, and an entire room was dedicated to the magnificent jewel encrusted and embroidered velvet gown from the lead soprano in Turandot.

We also visited the annual horticultural fair, “Verde Mura” which took place up on Le Mura (the wall). We attended a lecture by a retired British Physician on “Modern medicine from Medicinal Plants”. Henry Oakley lectured in English and his Italian colleague translated. The bilingual lecture doubled as an Italian lesson for us. We bought the book which he signed. Afterwards, strolling amongst roses, peonies, orchids, tulips, and camellias was a delight for the senses. The plentiful vendors sold just about anything that was connected to horticulture - books, art, tools, scarves, soap, jams, bread, sweets. It was also possible to buy plant seeds, of which there was an amazingly huge selection for beans “fagioli” (extra photo).