Puppet Museum, Ortigia, Sicily

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

Yesterday, I posted about the Puppet Theater and Puppet Laboratory in Ortigia, Sicily. For people interested in the art of puppetry, there is also a museum in Ortigia.

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

The theater, laboratory, and museum are all related. The laboratory is where talented artisans make the puppets for the shows at the theater. Best of all, you can visit the lab and watch the craftspeople at work!

Early puppet theater, Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

Sicilian puppetry has its roots in Spain, when storytellers recreated fanciful battle tales of how Charlemagne drove the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. These stories were also artfully told on the traditional Sicilian carts, models of which you can see at the museum.

Model of a traditional Sicilian cart, Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

The museum tells the specific story of the Opera dei Pupi in Ortigia. Puppetry began in this part of Sicily in the late 1800s with the Puzzo family followed by the Vaccaro brothers. 

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

The Vaccaro family, the original two brothers, their firstborn, Francesca, and her sons, the Mauceri brothers, formed the backbone of puppetry in Ortigia with their workshop and live performances.

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

The Opera dei Pupi lost popularity with the advent of television in the 50s and 60s, but the descendants of the Vaccaro-Mauceri family have reinvigorated the artform with the Vaccaro-Mauceri Company.

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

 In the museum, you can see over 100 marionettes from all phases of the family's history as well as photos and some incredible paper mache creations (check out the giant dragon hanging from the ceiling).

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

Information is posted in both English and Italian. While this isn't the biggest museum you will ever see (you could get through it in a half hour, but we were mesmerized for over two hours), it is certainly worth a stop.

Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi, Ortigia, Sicily

If you go:
The museum has limited hours it is open, depending on the time of year, check their website for times. 

MUSEO ARETUSEO DEI PUPI – VACCARO MAUCERI
PALAZZO MIDIRI-CARDONA VIA DELLA GIUDECCA
96100 SIRACUSA
TEL (+39) 0931 199 5531
FAX (+39) 0931 465 540
MAIL info@pupari.com

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