Versilia: Villa Ginori, the marquis’s residence to which Puccini dedicated *La Bohème*, is on the market

It was the residence of the marquis to whom Puccini dedicated *La Bohème*. It is Villa Ginori, perched between land and water on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli, currently on the market for 7 million euros through Lionard. Once owned by Marquis Carlo Benedetto Ginori Lisci, this historic residence was frequented by Giacomo Puccini, who dedicated *La Bohème* to the marquis himself. The estate, situated in the municipality of Massarosa, just over 25 kilometres from Forte dei Marmi, comprises approximately 4,000 square metres of floor space spread across eight buildings, set within around 10 hectares of private land. Adjacent to the main villa, which measures approximately 1,200 square metres, there is a nineteenth-century residence of around 800 square metres and a clubhouse converted from an old boathouse, as well as a private chapel, a lemon house and other outbuildings which still reflect the complex’s original layout today.

“Villa Ginori embodies a dimension of luxury that goes beyond the material value of a property,” comments Dimitri Corti, founder and CEO of Lionard Luxury Real Estate. “A building can be restored, transformed or adapted to new requirements. What cannot be recreated is its history, its connection with the people who have lived there and with the local area to which it belongs. This is what makes certain places truly unique.”

The estate owes its present appearance to the Marquis Ginori Lisci, heir to the famous Ginori porcelain factory in Doccia, founded on the outskirts of Florence in the first half of the 18th century. In 1887, he purchased Lake Massaciuccoli and the surrounding land from the Counts of Minutoli, transforming an existing building into a residence in the Tuscan Neo-Gothic style. The tower, the loggia, the red-brick façade, the mullioned windows and the white marble details defined its architectural identity. The villa still belongs to the descendants of the Ginori Lisci family.

The villa also embodies another piece of history in which nature and luxury come together with music. On the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli, the Ginori family crossed paths with Giacomo Puccini, who, from the late nineteenth century, lived on the opposite bank of the lake, in Torre del Lago, where he would later purchase the property that was to become his villa – now the Giacomo Puccini Villa Museum. He used to visit Villa Ginori, travelling there by boat and using its jetty as a landing place.

His relationship with the marquis, the owner of the lake and the surrounding land, developed into a deep friendship, and his bond with the family continued over the years. Puccini dedicated *La Bohème* to the Marquis Ginori Lisci.