The Convent where Iginia Puccini (1856-1922) was an Augustinian nun, taking the name suor Giulia Enrichetta, was abandoned by the order at the end of the 1990s. When there were still cloistered nuns, it was a glimpse of an environment to be observed and studied to recreate the environment of Suor Angelica. Some report that Giacomo had his sister and the other nuns listen to a preview of Suor Angelica, singing and accompanying himself on the organ, but it is not easy to confirm news like this, because often the episodes whose memory is handed down by one visitor to another acquire new details.

It is known for certain that the relationship between Puccini and his sister was very close and that Iginia, even for the liturgical needs of the Convent, was well advanced in musical experience and gladly accepted the gifts of his brother, especially the parcels of organ music,published by Ricordi, that he arranged to have sent to her.

The nuns kept a harmonium made by “Tedeschi & Raffael / Milan” given by Giacomo to Iginia on 5 January, 1921 (tradition has it that Puccini had donated another harmonium to the Convent of S.Nicolao – home of the Augustinians before Vicopelago – many years earlier, in memory of his mother Albina), a score of La fanciulla del West autographed with a dedication “to my little nun Iginia affectionately Giacomo Torre del Lago 23 January 911”, documents that bore witness to the composer’s financial involvement in charities sponsored by the nuns, letters of Iginia in the role of mother Superior. There was also a small but interesting collection of manuscript music for female voices and organ,or organ alone, by authors of Lucca (including Michele and Domenico Puccini), coming mostly from the Convent of S.Nicolao,didactic works and a collection of “chamber” music for piano published in the 19th century, transcriptions and fantasies from operas, but also dance pieces: evidently musical interests in the convent were not confined exclusively to the liturgy!