“We wanted the Centenary Festival to be a synthesis of his creative genius – says Pier Luigi Pizzi   The artistic project, conceived as unique, envisages the first five titles, Le Willis with Edgar, Manon Lescaut, La Bohème, Tosca, staged in chronological order according to their birth, following the composer’s path and his artistic growth, from the beginnings to his last opera, Turandot, left unfinished and proposed to us as he left it A century after his death, Giacomo Puccini’s popularity has never diminished, if anything, it has grown. What makes it relevant today is the fact that one continues to recognise oneself in its theatre and in the profound humanity of its creatures. His theatre speaks to everyone, it is universal. Even today, I still believe he is a model for those who want to write for opera. His complicated family affairs are well known, but it is also known how attached he was to his land and Lake Massaciuccoli, where he vented his passion for hunting. In all his operas Puccini has masterfully constructed unforgettable characters, think of Calaf, Mario Cavaradossi, Rodolfo, De Grieux, to mention only the most popular, but he has given the female ones the most sublime moments. Manon, Mimì, Cio-Cio-San, Liù who continue to move us to tears’.