Puppet Museum

Posted by Alexis on April 18, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

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When I first moved to Siracusa in February, I lived on Piazza San Giuseppe, home of the Museo dei Pupi (Puppet Museum). For some reason I never actually went inside until I moved to my current flat (okay, it’s less than ten minutes’ walk away…) and had visitors who wanted to go. It was €3 to enter – cheaper than many other museums in Siracusa.

The theatre was originally opened by the puppet-making Vaccaro-Mauceri family in the 19th century. An earthquake later destroyed all the puppets, but the family found the motivation to start up again with a new theatre.

The museum shows the company’s post-war work along with sketches, tools and posters. The puppets are handmade with a painted wooden core, armatures in embossed metal and hand-sewn clothes. Each takes a month to complete. Local puppet makers still use this technique and can be seen at work in the Laboratorio dei Pupi (Puppet Workshop) next to the theatre on Via Della Giudecca.

Filed under art, travel · Tagged with art, Europe, Italy, Ortigia, pupi, Puppet Museum, puppets, Sicilian puppets, Sicily, Siracusa, travel