NEAR THE HAMLET of Torre del Lago on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli, only a couple of miles inland from the Tuscan coast, Giacomo Puccini built himself a villa. Here he wrote most of his operas, and in later life sought refuge between the rigorous demands of the worldwide tours which fame and success had thrust upon him. Here also is the open-air theatre where, since 1955, there has been an (almost) annual festival to celebrate the local boy who brought to a culmination the most Italian of the arts, lyric theatre.

Arblaster and Clarke are very pleased to repeat this Gourmet Opera and Wine tour featuring the Puccini festival at Torre del Lago. We can also arrange tours for individuals taking in the festival, plus as much (or little) wine, gastronomy and culture as you like. Most years since 1930, a stage has been set up over the Massaciuccoli Lake to host a handful of performances of some of Puccini’s most loved works. 2006 will be the 52nd Festival and the operas on during our stay are La Boheme and Turandot.

    Spiagge assolate,fresche pinete, "il lago sempre calmo, ovvero; l'Eden."

FRIENDLY VERSILIA

Tuscany is a land of freedom,
history facts speak louder than words. Homosexuality was here decriminalized back in 1853 by Granduca Leopoldo I. Today, Tuscany is the only Italian region with a Statute that recognizes gay and lesbian couples and with a regional law first and only one in Italy - prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, even in the tourist industry.

This freedom together with other outstanding beauties pertaining both to the natural landscapes and to art, so well preserved in time, make this land a demiparadise.

“Friendly Versilia" is a project started in 1998 with the aim of giving visibility to the large and still hidden GLBT community in Viareggio and Torre del Lago. Friendly Versilia is today able to gather up over 100.000 homosexuals both men and women from all Europe, from the last week of April until the first week of September.

Torre del Lago a new promising Sitges on the Thyrrenian Sea? Well, in a way it is; same sex couples walking hand in hand, crowds of gays and lesbians gathering up on the huge Lecciona beach, most hotels and B&Bs, both in Viareggio and Torre del Lago, being either gay or gay-friendly, make Torre del Lago an inviting GLBT destination

Torre del Lago is also famous among the GLBT community both for being the place that hosts the italian Mardi Gras, a sort of summer edition of the gay pride, and for the many events organized from May to September that make it one of the very few places in Europe where gays and lesbian can enjoy so much!

HOTEL TORRE DEL LAGO, ALBERGHI TORRE DEL LAGO, LOCALI GAY

 

 

 

Torre del Lago Puccini si raggiunge:

- per ferrovia, direttamente dalla linea Roma - Genova

- in auto, dalla statale Aurelia mediante i raccordi autostradali con la Firenze - Mare (A11) 

e la Sestri Levante - Livorno (A12):

- in aereo, dal vicino aeroporto Galilei di Pisa (km. 15); Tassignano (Lucca) o Montignoso (MS)

- in barca, sfruttando il famoso porto turistico di Viareggio a soli 5 km.