During a trip to Palermo, you cannot miss a puppet theatre performance. Retracing the history of the Opera dei Pupi (puppet theatre) thanks to the museum and watching the show performed by the most famous puppeteers is undoubtedly a unique experience and an activity not to be missed, suitable even for children.
Traditional puppets of the Puppet Opera
- © BlackMac / Shutterstock
The Opera dei Pupi, classified by UNESCO as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage in 2001, is a very special type of theatre that spread in Sicily as early as the 18th century by puppeteers from Syracuse, but the puppets as we know them today date back to the 19th century.
Sign of the puppet theater of the Opera dei Pupi in Palermo
- © LOCUBROTUS / ShutterstockIn Sicily, two different traditions have developed: that of Catania and that of Palermo. The difference between the two consists in the size and weight of the puppets, their manoeuvre and the mechanical characteristics. For example, the puppets of the Palermo tradition are between 80 centimetres and 1 metre tall, are therefore smaller than those of the Catania tradition and can weigh up to 8 kg compared to the 35 kg of the Catania puppets. Moreover, they have articulated knees and can be manoeuvred from the sides: the opposite of the Catanese style.
Sicilian puppets
- © BlackMac / ShutterstockThe stories told are those of the epic-chivalric literature of the Carolingian cycle: the exploits of Charlemagne, Orlando in Love and Orlando Furioso. The characters include kings, princesses and paladins ready to unsheathe their swords.
The tradition of the Opera dei Pupi is an oral tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation and the puppets are handcrafted: they have a wooden frame with aniron rod that allows for more precise movements and anarmour generally made of metal.
The International Puppet Museum
Despite its great success in the 19th century, the work of the puppets experienced a gradual decline in the second half of the 20th century, but the establishment in 1975 of the Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum in Palermo set, and still sets today, the goal of safeguarding this form of theatre in the Sicilian folk tradition. The museum preserves stage texts, puppets, a vast photographic archive and various theatrical recordings.
⏰ Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Mondays, Sundays and public holidays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
👉 For reservations, information and guided tours: tel. 091.328060
👉 The ticket office closes one hour before the museum closes.
👉 More information here
Even today, it is still possible to see the Puppet Opera in various theatres in Palermo: among the most famous are the 'Carlo Magno' Puppet Theatre of the Mancuso family and the Cuticchio family's Puppet Theatre.
Puppet Theatre 'Charlemagne
📍Address: Via Collegio di Maria al Borgo Vecchio, 17, 90139, Palermo
👉Official site
👛Price: 10€ adults; 5€ children
Cuticchio Family Puppet Theatre
📍Address: Via Bara all'Olivella, 95, 90133, Palermo
👉Official site
👛Price: 10€ adult fare; 5€ children
