![]() ![]() It is a demanding field requiringnumerous, highly-developed skills. Traditionally, certain familieshave specialized in marionette making and puppet theatre -the Cuticchiosand Pasqualinos in Palermo, for example. Stylistically, Palermitan, Catanian and Messinese marionettes arequite similar to those of Naples and Venice -no accident considering themaritime trade among these cities historically. ![]() Qualityvaries, naturally, but the best Sicilian marionettes are among the world'sfinest. The marionettes themselves are made of wood with cloth with metal accoutrements.A handful of marionette makers still work in Sicily, particularly in Palermo,Catania and Messina, and sell many of their creations as souvenirs. It could even be mildly revolutionary,though most themes served to idealize the nobility which controlled Sicily,reinforcing the strictures of a feudal society that existed in the countryside.While it eventually became a popular entertainment for children, it appealedto adults, too. Puppet theatre sometimes provided an innocent alternativeto the passion plays of the Church. Inspirational? Inspirationalin the sense that spectators might in some way compare the stories or charactersto their own lives. It wasn'tmeant to be informative so much as inspirational. That was always the idea of this kind of entertainment. More recently, the puppeteers adapted stories of the Sicilianaristocracy (such as "The Baroness of Carini") to their tiny stages.As folk art, the productions are typically expressions of the popular perceptionof personages and events rather than faithful chronicles of history andliterature. Baroque paladins, really, since their costumes areoften more reminiscient of sixteenth century decoration than medieval armorand clothes. There's Orlando (Roland),one of Charlemagne's knights, and the Norman knights of King Roger of Sicily.And Saracens (Moors). Sicilian puppet theatre (opera dei pupi) or, more properly, "marionettetheatre," developed into its present form in the eighteenth century.(Strictly speaking, "puppets" fit over the hand, while marionettesare figures controlled by strings, but in common parlance the terms areoften used interchangeably what we're describing are actually marionettes.)Typically, the marionettes and their theatre depict medieval charactersand legendary events based loosely on history. ![]() They became popular in Sicily late in the Middle Ages, during the fifteenth century, and marionettes are still considered an important part of Sicilian folkculture. This site better viewed with JavaScript or Scriptingactivated. Dedicated to Sicilian art, culture, history, people, places and all thingsSicilian. Sicilian Marionettes and Puppet Theatre - Best of Sicily Magazine. ![]()
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