International Events and Sports. FESTIVAL PUCCINIANO Torre del Lago, home of the Puccini Festival, lies between the Lake of Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea, 4 kilometres far from the magnificent beaches of Viareggio on the Tuscan Riviera, 18 kilometres from Lucca and Pisa. The Festival welcomes about 40.000 spectators every year to its open-air theatre, just a few steps from the Villa Mausoleum where Giacomo Puccini lived and worked. His mortal remains are now in a small chapel inside the Villa. Torre del Lago is a favourite destination of opera lovers and tourists who wish to visit the places where the most beloved composer of the 20th century lived. The Puccini Festival was born in 1930 following Puccini’s wishes. “… 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…”. (Puccini in a letter to Giovacchino Forzano in November 1924, before he left to the clinic of Brussels where he died shortly after). The author of La Bohème and Madama Butterfly, expressed his wish to see his creatures come to life in the extraordinary natural stage offered by the Massaciuccoli Lake. Official Website Torre del Lago and Viareggio have 12 Km of clean and fine sandy beaches for an endless summer, with a magnificent view of the Apuan Alps; relax in our legendary pinewoods,where the famous italian poet D'Annunzio used to ride. The Lake of Giacomo Puccini where the Composer used to find his ispiration for his World-Famous Melodies. From the imposing marble quarries of Carrara to Sinea,Florence,Lucca,San Gimignano, Pisa... all the charm and mistery of Tuscany and its splendid past lies within easy reach of the Riviera. Official Website The sea is welcoming and radiant like the spaces behind it, protected by the majestic marble cathedrals of the Apuan mountains. If you arrive in Tuscany from the north, your first taste of the coast will be a special one. It is completely different from the nearby towns topping the steep cliffs and also different from what will follow. Here the landscape changes, the rock leaves space for a wide stretch of fine sand that slips into the sea. And there's more. The breathtaking peaks of the Apuan mountains frame the evergreen landscape. This coast, or rather, the villages and towns along it have a vital link with the land, the mountains, which is where they draw their origins and traditions, colours and flavours from. Official Website The Alpi Apuane distinguish themselves from the near Apennine chain for their harsh morphology, their deep valleys, and their imposing and very inclined slopes. The Apuane are famous for the beauty of their marbles, their deep abysses, and the great cavities of the subsoil characterized by karst phenomena. The geographical position of the massif, its exposure, and the different nature of the rocks determine the presence of varied and contrasting environments which favor the floral and faunistic richness of the territory. Official Website The Park provides for different admittance and visit possibilities. As a matter of fact, there are areas of free admittance, other areas where you can enter only with a previous authorization, and others which are private properties. The areas of free admittance are the Tenuta Borbone e Macchia Lucchese , the Lago e padule di Massaciuccoli, the drained area of Vecchiano, part of the Tenuta di Migliarino, the Tenuta di Tombolo, and that of Coltano. The other territories can be visited or not (like the western part of the Tenuta di San Rossore and the military areas of the Tenuta di Tombolo), can be visited only in some days (like the Tenuta di San Rossore) or can be visited only if accompanied by the Park's guides (the Tenuta di Migliarino). Official Website SPORT AND ESCURSIONS Windsurf Skid the blue Tyrrenian Sea! Zona Blu - Stefano Ancilotti 329.219.0691 rents excellent boards and sails and he is a pleasant person to deal with. Scuba diving Exclusive scuba diving excursions and free equipment try-out. At short distance from the camp. Mako-sub, Viareggio near the port area, Via coppino 22 - phone: 0584-38.75.92 / cell.347.777.4796 Hang Glider Fly on the beautiful Tyrreanian sea, with the Apuan Alps as back-drop! Luigi Manfredi - phone:335.286.6610. Viareggio, Montramito, Via Pioppo Gatto, near by Palestra Health + Fitness. Ecotur - Boat Excursions Environmental excursions on the marvellous Lake of Massaciuccoli, Puccini's favourite, part of the Regional Tuscan park named after him, spotting of protected bird species and observation of extraordinary flowers and plants (Orchids, Hibiscus and many others…) Ecotur in Viareggio phone: 0584.48.449, Diridoni Giuseppe in Torre del Lago: 338.902.9465 Italian Bird Protection League-Massaciuccoli A special boat departs from Bird Protection Fund at the small harbour of the village of Massaciuccoli every Sunday at 14.30 , you can quietly walk on the peer into the lake and observe the protected bird species. Oasi Lipu di Massaciuccoli 0854.97.55.67 - lipumassaciuccoli@tiscalinet.it Website: www.lipu.it Whale-Watching in the Cetaceans Sanctuary On sailboats, spotting of dolphins and whales in their natural environment. Daily excursions with a skipper and a marine biologist. For more information: Cetus 335.656.4469 / 0584.38.96.75 Tennis, Basket and Volleyball Camping Europa has a tennis court, which is really a multi purpose court for volley-basketball and tennis. We have a few tennis rackets that can be let. A reservation is required. Jeu de boules/boccie and ping pong equipment are for free. Roller skating / Rollerblading Centro Sport phone: 0584.94.48.99 near the open market area in Viareggio. Skates and rollers can be let for an hour at a price of 3 euro and for a day(09.30-8pm) at the price of 8 euro. The sea side promenades in Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore offer a 7km bike and roller blade path.