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The term “Commedia dell’Arte” (or Comedy of Artists) designates a form of improvisation theatre that originated in Italy in the 16th century and that reached its pinnacle one century afterwards. Most of the primary shows lacked any text and they were produced in the streets using scarce props. The shows didn’t demand entrance fees but they did rest upon the public’s donations.

The action of the screenplays used to be undertaken by characters that copied real individuals, with all their social and political concerns. The existence of every character was based on a certain idea that defined his/her behavior. This is why they were called “masked characters”. Behind the mask, the character had a specific psychological construction that followed a sole developing path: Pulcinella- the lazy one, Brighella- the intriguing one, Arlecchino- the drifter.

These traditional characters were later on transposed into the glove puppet shows, opera dei pupi and the marionette theater. The latter was built on the idea of revealing to the public the well-behaved urban working characters, as opposed to the glove puppet shows that presented violent peasants. The puppet show was created on the idea of provoking laughter or some kind of well-being. All the elements, the verbal language and non-verbal language, the voice, the grotesque characteristics were all put together in a comic manner.

The world of puppets and marionettes is a world of handcraft based on an extreme focus on details. Unfortunately, there are few places on Earth that still preserve samples of traditional puppets. But in Sicily, the world of the puppet show is generously presented at the International Puppet Museum (Museo Internazionale delle Marionette) from Palermo. In here, various designs of puppets, marionettes and stage props welcome the spectators to the discovery of Antonio Pasqualino collection made of 3500 eclectic pieces that are not only originated from Sicily and Italy, but also from India, China, Africa and Indonesia.

The puppets that are displayed at the Palermo museum create a spectacular antique collection, some of them being centuries old. They are the pillars of the “opera di pupi” tradition that is invariably fading away. Artistry of iconic names such as Gaspara Canino (the 1800 raising star of the puppet theater) is generously displayed in the museum. Many other artists are highlighted inside the museum. Each and every one of them is worthy of close attention as they represent the ultimate puppet masters.

The International Puppet Museum is sadly one of the few places all over the world that still celebrate the lost tradition of the puppet show and it gathers both children and art lovers year after year.