Syracuse: traditional puppets workshop experience

Syracuse is an amazing city in the South East Coast of Sicily. The majority of Siracusa's fine sights are archaeological and historical, bearing witness to the grand past of this Sicilian town. The attractive historic centre on the island of Ortigia is a good place to stroll, shop and eat and to lost in its picturesque streets.

The opera of the puppets and the Sicilian tradition of cantastorîas (singers of tales) are rooted in the Provençal troubadour tradition in Sicily.

The Sicilian marionette theater Opera dei pupi was proclaimed in 2001 and inscribed in 2008 in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

In Ortigia, enter in Giudecca -the ancient Jewish district- and go inside the Puppets Museum, which is divided in several sections where it´s possible discovering the history of a famous puppets artisan family.

The pupi studio is an authentic place where the traditional dolls are created. The face of the marionette is made of papier-mâché and the armours are finely wrought. The workshop is an artisan hotbed where expert puparo create many characters, such as horseman (both Saracens and Christians), magicians, witches and monstrous creatures. This place is full of magic and scents: the wood, the natural glue and the varnish. Admire sketches and pieces of puppets on the shelfs.

When the work is completed, bring back home your own puppet as a souvenir of this amazing experience.

Live in a charming place for one day and become a real puparo. Don´t miss this enchanting experience in Syracuse!