Lake Massaciuccoli (Lago di Massaciuccoli in Italian) is a lake in the Province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. Its surface area is 6.9 km2. It is located mainly in the municipality of Massarosa and partly in Torre del Lago, a civil parish of Viareggio.

Lake Massaciuccoli
Lake Massaciuccoli is located in Tuscany
Lake Massaciuccoli
Lake Massaciuccoli
Lake Massaciuccoli is located in Italy
Lake Massaciuccoli
Lake Massaciuccoli
LocationProvince of Lucca, Tuscany
Coordinates43°50′42″N 10°19′30″E / 43.84500°N 10.32500°E / 43.84500; 10.32500
Basin countriesItaly
Surface area6.9 km2 (2.7 sq mi)
Official nameMassaciuccoli lake and marsh
Designated22 June 2017
Reference no.2311[1]
Lake Massaciuccoli from Torre del Lago

It is one of the largest remaining fragments of the large swamps and marshes that once covered entirely the coastal plain of Versilia. The lake was known in ancient times as the Fossis Papirianis, a name used in the Tabula Peutingeriana.

The village of Massaciuccoli lies on its shore.

The composer Giacomo Puccini lived in a villa at Torre del Lago on the west side of the lake, and frequently hunted around the lake; the nearby village of Torre del Lago is sometimes mentioned with suffix "Puccini" in his honour.

The lake is home to the large extent of Cladium mariscus in Italy. However, vegetation and wildlife have shrunken substantially since the 20th century, due to eutrophication and expansion of Louisianan Crayfish.

view of the lake from "Massaciuccoli Port", near Massarosa

References

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  1. ^ "Massaciuccoli lake and marsh". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.