Italy - Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre

"The puppet theatre known as the Opera dei Pupi emerged in Sicily at the beginning of the nineteenth century and enjoyed great success among the island’s working classes. The puppeteers told stories based on medieval chivalric literature and other sources, such as Italian poems of the Renaissance, the lives of saints and tales of notorious bandits. The dialogues in these performances were largely improvised by the puppeteers. The two main Sicilian puppet schools in Palermo and Catania were distinguished principally by the size and shape of the puppets, the operating techniques and the variety of colourful stage backdrops...."
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Senzazioni - Paladini Siciliani. Sicilian puppets of the "Opera dei Pupi". Thanks to Daniele of Sicily, Italia - grazie.