Travel: Puccini’s Tuscany
Perhaps the greatest of the operatic composer’s many love affairs was the one he had with his home region of Tuscany – and its wine and cuisine. Follow in his footsteps for a charming long-weekend getaway among vines and history, says Adrian Mourby
The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was proud that he came not just from Tuscany, but from Lucca – and that all the houses he owned were entirely on Lucchese territory. This northwest corner of Tuscany, with its dramatic mountains, Art Deco beach resorts and ancient walled cities, is an affluent wineproducing area. Puccini himself would have drunk early vintages of many of the wines still bottled here today.
The most romantic opera composer of his generation, Puccini was a great lover of food and wine, with a clubhouse that he built in the reeds of the idyllic Lake Massaciuccoli. Here, in sight of the Apuan Alps, he used to cook meals for his friends and serve them the basic wines of Lucca.
To follow in Puccini’s footsteps – and gain an insight into why he loved his home region so much – base yourself in Lucca, the imposing, walled city of his birth and childhood. It has a Roman street plan, churches full of art, several boutique hotels and many charming restaurants.
The province of Lucca has long produced wine, even prior to Roman times. Records show that in AD1334, it sold nearly 17,000 barrels of rosso to its great rival, the city of Florence. The imposition of Napoleon’s sister, Elisa, as princess of Lucca in 1805 brought French influence to local viticulture, with Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Semillon, the Pinots Blanc and Gris, and dependable Merlot joining the indigenous Grechetto, Malvasia, Trebbiano, Vermentino and
Colorino grapes.
These days, the province of Lucca has two DOCs, Colline Lucchesi and Montecarlo, both on higher ground to the north and east of the city, and protected from sea breezes by the Monte Pisani hills. A third DOC, Terre di Pisa, begins south of the Arno river and Pisa itself. It’s no more than 40km from the most northerly of Montecarlo’s vineyards to the southernmost in Terre di Pisa. All three could be explored in a long weekend.
Colline Lucchesi
Begin by exploring Colline Lucchesi, created in 1968 and garnering very good reviews these days. Soils based on limestone and sandstone – plus a lot of sunny south-facing vineyards – provide ideal conditions for vine-growing.
Tenuta di Valgiano (www.valgiano.it) is a 16th-century estate situated 13km northeast of Lucca. The walk up to the old mansion is lined with palm trees. The current owners, working with viticulturist Saverio Petrilli, have breathed new life into this stately old vineyard – certified biodynamic in 2002.
It’s an easy 6km drive east to Fattoria di Fubbiano, a series of pantiled buildings around another elegant mansion (www. fattoriadifubbiano.it). On these south-facing slopes, winters are very mild and wildflowers bloom as early as January. Like most estates in this part of Tuscany, the output is mainly organic reds and whites, but Fubbiano also produces a rosé named Schiller, after the estate’s new owner.
South of both of these vineyards is Tenuta Lenzini (www.tenutalenzini.it), a jumble of old
‘Limestone and sandstone soils provide ideal conditions for vinegrowing in Colline Lucchesi’
buildings in a natural amphitheatre that’s surrounded by vines and cypresses as far as the eye can see. This estate was once owned by the Arnolfini family, whose 15th-century portrait by van Eyck famously hangs in London’s National Gallery.
Montecarlo
Drive east of Colline Lucchesi and downhill ever so slightly to visit the Montecarlo DOC, created in 1969. A Montecarlo Bianco must be made from 30%-60% of the Trebbiano variety, while its Rosso counterpart must feature 50%-75% Sangiovese.
Fattoria il Poggio (www.fattoriailpoggio.net) is an old low-rise farm that has been run by the Rossi family since 1963. It’s now a tourist attraction in its own right, serving as a space for weddings as well as hosting wine tastings inside its brick-lined vaults.
Fattoria di Montechiari (www.montechiari.com) was built on the site of an old Florentine fortress destroyed by the bellicose Lucchesi at the beginning of the 14th century. Today, its 10ha of vines are surrounded by cypress trees. The owners, Moreno and Catherine Panattoni, produce five wines here, including their Donna Catherine Brut, which is made from 100% Pinot Noir.