In 1898, after the success of Manon Lescaut and La Bohéme , Puccini bought an old solitary villa in Chiatri in a wonderful position: the view over Lake Massaciuccoli and the surrounding area was extraordinary. The villa was restored by Puccini on the project of Giuseppe Puccinelli and has a very deep tuscan character.

The villa, surrounded by a large garden, could have been a place of great peace for Puccini who really loved Chiatri. Unfortunately, he could spend there only few periods: his wife and his son convinced him to leave because of stories of ghosts and apparitions.