On Tuesday 18th October 2022, on the 2nd day of the 3rd mobility of our project teams in Partinico, Italy, the “Educational visit” activity was realised in “Real Cantina Borbonica” in Partinico. The mansion used to belong to Ferdinand IV of the Bourbons and now it is a museum. Part of it hosts the Puppet Theatre Museum and another part of it can be visited since the mansion included a winery and an oil press.
Our visit focused on the Sicilian Puppet Theatre. We had the chance to get to know about its history, the way the puppets are made and the characters and themes of the puppet shows. So, the Sicilian puppet theatre dates back to the early 1800s and the first figures were made of paper. Gradually they evolved and now they are made of metal and wood. The characters are real characters related to the Sicilian history while the themes of the puppet shows are inspired by true events and adapted to the life of the area where the show is presented each time. We were also shown how the puppets are moved and also how the various tricks on stage, such as the fuming dragon, are done. Then the students and teachers had the chance to hold the puppets themselves and play a short puppet show.
As an extension of our visit in the Puppet Theatre Museum, we were guided in the old mansion and more precisely, in the three-floored old winery and oil press and we were shown how wine and olive oil were produced there in the 18th and 19th century. On the way out, we also visited the chapel of the mansion.
Overall, that was a very enlightening visit because the educational visit related to local toys took place in a historical building and we had the chance to see its rooms and facilities and realise its transformation over time from a royal mansion to a folklore theatre museum.
Photo Gallery of our visit
Playing Europe 