The Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum

The Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum

The Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum
4
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
About
The Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum was founded in 1975 by the Association for the Conservation of Folk Traditions. It conserves about 4,000 items, including marionettes, marottes, hand puppets, shadow puppets, theatrical machines and playbills from all over the world. Among these, it houses the largest and most complete collection of pupi from Palermo, Catania and Naples, used in the Opera dei pupi, that is Sicilian traditional puppetry, proclaimed by UNESCO a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. Besides, you can find many other objects used in the other puppet traditions which have obtained the same award: the Japanese Ningyo Johruri Bunraku, the Indonesian Wayang Kulit, the Cambodian Sbek Thom and The collection also includes important contemporary artworks, created by Enrico Baj, Tadeusz Kantor and Renato Guttuso. In 2017, it received the ICOM Italy's award as Museum of the Year.
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£7.19
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Neighbourhood: Palazzo Reale
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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles239 reviews
Excellent
117
Very good
78
Average
26
Poor
13
Terrible
5

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Beth N
Amersham, United Kingdom113 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
I was amazed at the sheer variety of puppets - they were displayed in some parts by country - others hung from the ceiling. There were small rooms devoted to various types of puppet show - down to the differences between Catania and PAlermo puppet shows! Certainly a museum with a difference. They do offer live puppet shows but I didn't have time to stay.
Written 1 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Romana
28 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Couples
The exhibition is worth a visit: Sicilian puppets and puppets from various parts of the world show off themselves alongside videos that explain exhaustively but, without a choice of language (so foreigners have not understood...). The second floor is dark and does not allow a good view also has no air conditioning relegated only to the theater area. The exposure overall is good and cannot be missed on a sightseeing tour.
Automatically translated
Written 8 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Guillermo B
Bogota, Colombia717 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
If you are in Palermo it is an experience you must do. It is a return to an ancient form of entertainment that must be preserved. You must visit the museum and also see the puppet show. The handling they do is wonderful and the stories are very funny.
Google
Written 5 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SFExpat
Lyon, France83 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2013 • Family
We were excited to go to one of the more (potentially) child-friendly attractions in Palermo. So after seeking out this museum, we were somewhat disappointed to find what in fact is a great collection of puppets and shadow figures, but in a poor state of display, with very little information about them and all of the videos out of order.
It seems that the museum was installed and subsequently all but forgotten.
If you are a die-hard puppet afficianado, you might be well impressed. But if you are going to learn about puppets and stimulate the interest of your kids, you probably won't be satisfied.
Written 29 April 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jim c
london118 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2012 • Family
We went to this puppet museum and thoroughly enjoyed it. The collection covers puppets from all over the world. The traditional Sicilian puppet section is the best.
We were upset that between june and october they do not hold regular puppet shows.
However the Museum staff sent us to
Teatro Argento The Sicilian Puppet Theatre on Pietro novelli street near the Cathedral where we watched the most amazing show by a family of puppeteers whose family have been running the theatre since 1893!! (Tel 091.6113680 to book )
Written 12 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AnnemiekNetherlands
Netherlands153 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2013
After visiting a marvelous puppet show in the Teatro Argento we set out for this museum. There are lots of puppets on display from all over the world. The Japanese video stopped soon after it started thanks to electricity interruption and lacked subtitles (I happend not to speak Japanese). The other video I managed to start was a very simple registration of a Sicilian puppet show wich hampered many times.
All in all little information, lack of demonstrations for too much money. Save you money, don't visit this place
Written 16 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

steveR11_11
Salisbury, UK51 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2013 • Couples
This museum is really overpriced for what it offers. On paying we were given a leaflet and directed up to the second floor of the small building. There were a few lacklustre displays of puppets not all of which had labels. Apart from that there really waasn't anything to see. Perhaps if you were a real puppet enthusiast you would appreciate what you were seeing but for us it was a real disappointment.
Written 2 April 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pam S
Oakland, California, United States93 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2012 • Solo
I went to puppet museums in both Siracusa and Palermo and I have to say I found the puppet museum in Siracusa, which is quite a bit smaller, much more charming than the Palermo one. In Palermo, there is a huge collection of Balinese puppets. I happened to arrive here as a big festival of puppetry is being hosted at the museum in Palermo, and most of the shows are from Balinese puppeteers. While I understand the Palermo museum is international in scope, I wish that more attention was put into the Sicilian puppet tradition.

I heard a guide who was leading a tour through the museum explain the different types of puppets on display in the Sicilian puppet room. It was a beautiful explanation of the regional differences in puppeterring in Sicily and I wondered why there was NO BOOK and NO INTERPRETIVE display in the museum to add to your understanding of what you were seeing. There is very little in general and virtually nothing in English. This is a pity as it is a very big missed opportunity.

That said you should still go and see this museum - it's a must.
Written 21 October 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sweetp0707London
london14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We visited the museum on a rainy day in October 09. The actual museum is okay but we happend to arrive when the puppet show was due to start. We took a chanced a paid for a ticket and it was the best thing we did all holiday. Great show enjoyed by all especially our 4 year old son. We didnt understand the story in Italien but the puppets and performance was brillant.
Written 27 October 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rui P
Lisbon, Portugal176 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2016 • Friends
Getting a bit away from the usual religious tourism of Palermo, this museum stands out and an interesting place to visit for people of every age. Showing the tradition of puppets of the city, as well as some other works from other parts of the world. A must-go, if you want to get some rest of the churches and palaces, and get some different views of the Sicilian culture.
Written 20 December 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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THE ANTONIO PASQUALINO INTERNATIONAL PUPPET MUSEUM (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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