The International Museum of puppetry in Palermo
Mr.Antonio Pasqualino was the founder of this stunning museum in the center of Palermo. Together with his wife Janne Vibaek, he founded in 1965 a cultural association to preserve the patrimony of of findings and souvenirs that they collected all over the world. The collection is inside what used to be the Hotel de France, a wonderful palace of great architectural interest. Pasqualino's renowned puppetry collection is made of over three thousand pieces from Italy and abroad. You'll find Sicilian marionettes (“pupi”), Japanese Bunraku puppets, and figures made by contemporary artists such as Enrico Baj, Renato Guttuso, and Polish director Tadeusz Kantor. You'll also find many shadow theater puppets from the Indonesian Wayang Kulit and Wayang Golek traditions, as well as from the Cambodian Sbek Thom traditions, both of them declared “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in the World ” by the UNESCO in 2001. The permanent exhibition is hosted in the three floors of the palace where the visitor can also find a book shop, a library and a Videoteque. The so-called “Opera dei Pupi”, that is the puppet shows, the seminars, and the video showings take place on the top floor.