8 Days in Puccini's Footsteps: A Musical Pilgrimage Through Italy

Your musical pilgrimage begins in Italy's fashionable metropolis of Milan. After checking into your hotel in the heart of the city, you have the evening free to explore the neighborhood. Stroll through the bustling shopping galleries, stop at a cozy cafe to sample Italian aperitivo, or simply people-watch in the magnificent Piazza del Duomo under the glow of the grand Gothic cathedral.

Start your second day by visiting the Milan Conservatory of Music, where Puccini enrolled as a young man to refine his compositional skills and prepare for a career in opera. Tour the same halls in which he studied and began fine-tuning early drafts of Le Villi. Next, make your way to the world-famous La Scala for a guided tour to glimpse behind the scenes of one of the world’s most famous opera houses. Wander the theater’s museum beneath portraits of Puccini and other musical legends, as well as composer Franz Liszt’s perfectly preserved grand coda Steinway piano. As you listen to your guide, you may imagine a young Puccini sitting in on an opera in 1883, as this historic theater helped ignite his operatic imagination.

Optional Activity: La Scala, Milan’s historic opera house, where talented musicians perform Puccini’s works and other musical masterpieces, is open from September to July. You may attend a performance when traveling during these months for an unforgettable musical introduction to Italy.

Depart Milan early in the morning for a scenic drive to Cremona, a historic city nestled on the banks of the Po River in northern Italy. A sweet, earthy aroma of torrone and dark espresso wafts through the air as the morning casts a warm glow across the city’s red-tiled rooftops. Embark on a guided tour of the town’s workshops and famous violin museum, getting a firsthand look at instruments produced by master craftsman Antonio Stradivari.

After an afternoon lost among strings and bows, continue to the walled Tuscan town of Lucca, the birthplace of the great Puccini. Check into your historic hotel just steps from where the maestro himself grew up. As evening settles on the quiet cobblestone streets, enjoy a stroll from the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. Stop to enjoy a cone of creamy pistachio, fresh strawberry, or rich hazelnut and chocolate gelato, before a peaceful night’s rest in Cremona, serenaded by church bells echoing the melodies of Puccini’s youth.

Spend your morning immersing yourself in the early world of Puccini with a visit to the museum named after him. Housed in the ancestral home where the maestro was born, this musical shrine transports you back through the composer’s childhood room, family portraits, and even his piano, on which he likely penned his great melodies, from the librettos of Tosca to La fanciulla del West.

Continue your exploration of Lucca’s historic core with lunch at a cozy trattoria. Lose yourself amid winding medieval lanes, popping into churches that may have inspired the young Puccini. In the afternoon, stroll atop Lucca’s remarkably intact 16th-century city walls, the perfect perch from which to watch over the city’s terracotta rooftops, before returning to the ground and standing beneath the Guinigi Tower and the 16th-century tree that crowns its rooftop.

After breakfast, make the scenic drive west to Puccini’s beloved Torre del Lago along the sparkling Ligurian Sea. Here, the maestro found his paradise, building a villa where he composed some of his great works. Tour the villa to glimpse Puccini’s life, visiting the tiny cabin where he wrote looking out over water and hills that oozed into melodies. Your guide may point out the dampers on the piano to soften the noise, functional embellishments to aid Puccini’s creative process, as it is believed he would compose his works at night.

Optional Activity: In the golden light of a Tuscan afternoon or under the stars of an evening sky, you can indulge in a wine tasting at a local vineyard, showcasing rows of vines rolling over gentle hills and valleys that seem to echo the enduring melodies and fame of Puccini. As you swirl the ruby liquid in your glass, hints of black cherry, leather, and spice overwhelm the senses before each silky sip coats the palate.

Optional Activity: You can extend your lakeside reverie by dining under the stars. You may savor traditional dishes like seafood risotto, the creamy arborio rice studded with sweet shrimp, briny mussels, and tender squid that enhance the fresh flavors from the nearby sea. As the sun sinks below the distant mountains, the fading pink and purple hues over the shimmering waters can make you feel as though you have stepped into a Puccini opera set, with romantic sorrows and soaring hopes palpable. Laughter and snippets of conversation float from tables nearby, while you relish the connections of food, wine, and art.

You may choose to extend your musical memoir by heading to Florence, where Puccini studied after leaving his hometown of Lucca. Arrive and settle into a cozy hotel near the historic center. Spend the afternoon wandering streets Puccini himself would have roamed as a student at the Florence Conservatory of Music. Visit the school to see remnants of his time perfecting his craft after initial successes.

Make your way through the Uffizi Gallery, past Da Vinci’s Last Supper, imagining what artistic inspiration an aspiring Puccini gathered here. While away hours people-watching in the Piazza della Signoria under the shadow of the towering Palazzo Vecchio and witness how the Old Bridge and whispers of Dante helped inspire Puccini's one-act opera Gianni Schicchi. Cap off your day at a restaurant on the Arno River, toasting your musical discoveries of Italy’s beloved Puccini with glasses of Chianti as the sun sets behind Ponte Vecchio’s bejeweled arches.

Arrive in Rome on day six or make your way to the city from Florence on day seven, the glittering grand finale of your musical pilgrimage across Italy. Check into your hotel near some of Rome’s iconic highlights, whether the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, high-end boutiques, or sidewalk cafes abuzz with la dolce vita.

As dusk approaches, make your way to the majestic Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, open from September to June, to attend a world-class opera production in an ornate theater that captures all the lavish drama of Puccini himself. Lose yourself in soaring strings, magnificent sets, and huge voices powered by a full orchestra in the arched Golden Hall. Look upward as frescoed ceilings sweep skyward, crystal chandeliers sparkle, and velvet curtains dramatically reveal the stage. Immerse yourself in the ultimate operatic experience in a landmark that carries on centuries of Italian music history at opera’s global epicenter.

You have your final full day in Rome at leisure, with plenty of time to explore the sculpted hedgerows and fragrant roses of the Borghese Gardens, see lovers and tourists explore the Spanish Steps, or wander the cobblestone lanes of Trastevere. Or, opt for a guided tour of the ancient Italian ruins. Stand in the center of the massive Colosseum and imagine the roar of the crowd and the clash of gladiators. Trace your hands along the intricately carved columns of the Roman Forum as you visualize orators and politicians gathering to debate the laws that once governed an empire. Gaze upward inside the soaring dome of the Pantheon, streaks of sunlight illuminating the space through the oculus as it has for centuries.

As the sun starts to set on your musical pilgrimage, take the elevator up to Rome’s skyline at a rooftop restaurant for your festive farewell dinner. As you toast your journey through Italy’s musical past from high above Rome’s sea of terracotta and stone, enjoy a live concert highlighting soaring selections from Puccini’s most-loved operas. Savor one last serving of tiramisu, while taking in the sparkling cityscape at night, as Puccini’s enduring melodies that echoed through theaters, villas, and avenues now swirl all around you.

Enjoy a leisurely Italian breakfast this morning before your musical pilgrimage through Puccini’s Italy comes to a close. Reminisce over cappuccinos and cornetti about the highlights of your week exploring the theaters, villages, and landscapes that shaped the maestro’s life. From the buzzing metropolis of Milan where his talent first took flight to his lakeside refuge of Torre del Lago that nurtured timeless masterpieces, you’ve traced Puccini’s story, while discovering Italy’s history and culture.