This whimsical museum houses around 4000 marionettes, puppets, glove puppets and shadow figures from Sicily and Naples, as well as from further-flung places such as Japan, China, Southeast Asia, India and Africa. The museum's beautifully decorated traditional theatre – complete with hand-cranked music machine – stages puppet shows (adult/child €10/5) most afternoons in the summer and on Friday afternoons during the rest of the year.
Established by the Association for the Conservation of Folk Traditions of Palermo, the museum takes puppeteering seriously, researching the art form, providing informative labelling alongside museum exhibits and hosting the annual Festa di Morgana (www.festivaldimorgana.it), when puppeteers from all over the world converge on the museum for lectures and performances.