Take one look at the landscape from the banks of Lake Massaciuccoli in the city of Torre del Lago, Tuscany and it is easy to understand Giacomo Puccini’s inspiration for his operas. The great Italian composer, Puccini, once wrote to his friend Forzano, “I always come out here and take a boat to go and shoot snipes … but once I would like to come here and listen to one of my operas in the open air.” Forzano brought alive his friend’s wishes in 1930 when he organized the first Puccini festival celebrating not only Puccini’s operas but also the beautiful landscape that inspired Puccini.