MUSEO DELLE MARIONETTE

The Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum is housed in the Hôtel de France, which in the 18th century was the palace of the Marquis Onofrio del Castillo. It became a hotel in 1808. From the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, it hosted the most prestigious personalities from the historical, political, cultural and aristocratic fields, including Sigmund Freud. Today it is home to this museum dear to the Sicilians. More than 3,000 pieces, string puppets, sheath puppets, shadows, decorations, Sicilian, Palermo and Catalonian puppets, but also Neapolitan and many other countries (Balkans, Turkey, Mali, Congo, Burma, Rajasthan, Vietnam, China ...). For the Sicilian puppets, the thread generally came from Sri Lanka, and the puppets were made with wood found on the beach. The puppets were built by the puppeteers themselves at the time, and their wives made clothes for them. Of particular interest is the section devoted to oriental wooden and parchment copies. In the small rooms on the top floor, you can see puppets from 1920 representing Greta Garbo or Laurel and Hardy. The theatre hall offers performances of the Opera di Pupi. The elements (benches, organs, stages) come from ancient puppet theatres. A truly wonderful place. Check out their website or Facebook page for show times.