Museo Internazionale delle Marionette Antonio Pasqualino

The Museo Internazionale delle Marionette Antonio Pasqualino, at Piazza Marina 19 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, is devoted to puppet traditions from Sicily and across the world. It was founded in 1965 by the anthropologist Antonio Pasqualino and his wife Janne Vibaek, and it is run by the Associazione per la Conservazione delle Tradizioni Popolari. The museum is housed in the Palazzo Gravina Filangeri, a 19th-century building near the harbour, and its collection grew from the folklorists' study of the Opera dei Pupi, the Sicilian puppet theatre that flourished from the 19th century and that UNESCO recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. The core of the museum is its set of Sicilian rod puppets from Palermo and Catania, armoured knights in metal that tell the stories of Charlemagne and Orlando drawn from medieval chivalric epics. Palermo puppets are smaller and operated by rods attached to the head and arm, whereas Catania ones are larger and heavier. The museum also exhibits painted banners, scenery and the cantastorie posters used to advertise performances. Beyond Sicily, the museum has puppets, shadow figures and masks from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, including Indonesian wayang, Chinese and Japanese pieces and Neapolitan puppets. The collection is arranged by geographic area and tradition, which makes it easy to compare techniques. The museum also has a theatre where puppet performances are held, and it runs an international festival. The museum is in generally good condition. Its displays offer an accessible entry to Sicilian popular culture and storytelling, and are of interest to children and adults alike. The central location, close to Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, makes it easy to include in a visit to the Kalsa.