THE PUCCINI OPERA FESTIVAL
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7th - 11th August 2008
with Adrian Mourby |
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The Annual Puccini Festival is to be held in a new spectacular open air theatre overlooking the lake at Torre del Lago. We enjoy three of Puccini’s operas: Tosca, an early lesser-known work – David, and his last opera Turandot. We stay in medieval Lucca, Puccini’s birthplace, nearby
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PROVISIONAL COST: Including flights to Pisa, transfers, 4 nights Bed & Breakfast in twin rooms in the Hotel Universo in the medieval centre of Lucca; 3 good opera tickets in central III seats; guided visits. £875
EXTRAS: Insurance, Single room supplement £205, additional meals, entrance charges (some free or reduced for senior citizens), tips.
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Adrian Mourby, winner of the Special Puccini Award for Journalism 2007, will be taking us to a very special Puccini festival this summer.
The annual Festival Pucciniamo Torre del Lago is held in the lakeside town of Torre del Lago where the young Giacomo Puccini lived in his Bohemian day before he made a dramatic impact on the world of opera with his Manon Lescaut. Later he returned to this beloved spot and wrote three of the most popular operas ever written, La Boheme, Tosca and Madama Butterfly, while living in a house that he built on the lakeside.
At the end of his life Puccini expressed a wish to hear his works performed in Torre del Lago, a setting that had inspired his most successful operas. This wish was put into effect by the composer Pietro Mascagni who in 1930 began the tradition of conducting Puccini in Torre del Lago.
This year a new permanent open air theatre is opening on the lakeside at Torre del Lago and The Travellers’ Club members will receive a special tour of the new facility before watching three performances of Puccini operas in the inaugural season.
We will be staying in the heart of the beautiful medieval town of Lucca where Puccini was born (about 10 miles away but much more charming than Torre del Lago itself) and also visiting Viareggio, the Art Nouveau seaside resort where he moved at the height of success. His heart however always belonged to Torre del Lago where we will hope to visit Villa Puccini*, the house where his greatest works were written and where he is buried.
Throughout the tour there will be opportunities for discussions with Adrian Mourby on Puccini’s life and works and on the direction and our responses to the works we shall be seeing. It is likely that we will arrange picnic meals or light suppers before each of the performances.
| Date |
Itinerary |
| Thursday 7 August 2008 |
Arrival at Pisa and transfer to Lucca. Walking tour of the city walls and dinner. |
| Friday 8 August 2008 |
Visit to the cathedral and Puccini birthplace. Afternoon free to rest or enjoy the city. Transfer to Torre del Lago for a performance of Tosca, preceded by a tour of the new theatre. |
| Saturday 9 August 2008 (market day in Lucca) |
Walking tour of Puccini sites in Lucca including the cafe where he entertained his friends. Afternoon free to rest or enjoy the city. Transfer to Torre del Lago for a rare performance of Edgar, Puccini's second opera,which failed with the critics at the time, but which is now being rediscovered.
Possible meeting with the director, Puccini expert Vivienne Hewitt (tbc) |
Sunday10 August 2008 |
Morning free. Afternoon visit to Viareggio to see Caffe Margerita where the Puccini Society met during the last years of his life. Also visit to Puccini's house where he wrote Turandot (tbc). Transfer to Torre del Lago for a performance of Turandot, the last opera written by Puccini
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Monday 11 August 2008 |
Morning free. Transfer to Pisa with opportunity to visit the Duomo and famous Leaning Tower before our return to England. |
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* An optional visit to Villa Puccini is planned but cannot be confirmed or costed at this stage. |
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