Opera dei Pupi.

The “opera dei pupi” is the marionette theatre of Southern Italy and it is made of three separate traditions: Palermo, Catania and Naples tradition. The Palermitan puppets are 80 centimetres tall,  they have jointed knees and they are manipulated from the side of the stage; the Catania puppets are 120 centimetres tall,  they have stiff knees and they are manipulated , from a bridge behind the backdrop;

the Neapolitan puppets are one metre tall, they have jointed knees and they are manipulated from a bridge behind the backdrop. The subjects are lengthy chronicles presented in instalments over a period of many months and based on epic-chivalrous literature, most particularly on the Carolingian chronicle. The repertoire also included the lives of bandits and saints, historical events and Shakespearean dramas. The show of the day was traditionally advertised using decorated panels. In Palermo they were painted on canvas and divided into squares, usually eight, which depicted various scenes. In Catania each scene was painted on paper. The Neapolitan posters were painted in tempera on paper. Today we have one-evening performances and the panels have a mere decorative purpose.