Letter dated Torre del Lago, 6 July 1911, to Carla Toscanini in Rome
Mary Flagler Cary Collection
After the world premiere of Fanciulla in New York, Puccini worked with Toscanini to make revisions to the score before its Roman debut, under Toscanini's direction, at the Teatro Costanzi on 12 June 1911. In this letter to Carla, Toscanini's wife, Puccini comments on Fanciulla's good reviews and sends his affectionate greetings to both Arturo and Carla. He also refers to preparing for the ardita navigazione (perilous voyage), possibly meaning a trip to Buenos Aires for the Fanciulla premiere on 25 July. Though he did not make this journey, Puccini devoted much of his time to attending and supervising performances of his works so as to ensure their quality.