{"id":3828,"date":"2026-09-03T14:41:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T12:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/sights\/museo-aretuseo-dei-pupi-syracuse-shows-tickets-season\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T14:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T12:42:23","slug":"museo-aretuseo-pupi-siracusa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/museo-aretuseo-pupi-siracusa\/","title":{"rendered":"Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi (Syracuse): Shows, Tickets &amp; Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ts-wxbar\"><div class=\"ts-wx ts-wx--ph\" data-ts-ort=\"siracusa\" data-ts-fc=\"\" data-ts-titel=\"\"><span class=\"ts-wx__loading\">Wetter wird geladen \u2026<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"ts-verdict\"><strong>In short:<\/strong> The <strong>Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi<\/strong> on Ortigia is the collection of a family of puppeteers &ndash; the <strong>Vaccaro-Mauceri<\/strong>, who in 1978 revived Syracuse&rsquo;s Pupi tradition thirty years after it had died out. Three things to know: <strong>the museum and the theatre are two different addresses<\/strong>, the <strong>museum is closed in winter<\/strong> (roughly mid-November to the end of February), and the <strong>&euro;1 museum price only applies together with a show ticket<\/strong> (&euro;12). There are never shows on Sundays.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Quick Facts<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ts-facts\">\n<li><strong>Type:<\/strong> the collection of an active puppeteer company, with its own theatre<\/li>\n<li><strong>Museum:<\/strong> Via della Giudecca 78, Ortigia &middot; <strong>Teatro Alfeo:<\/strong> Via della Giudecca 22 &ndash; <strong>two addresses<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Operator:<\/strong> Associazione La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri (private, 1999) &ndash; <strong>not a regional-museum house<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Show:<\/strong> &euro;12 \/ children 3&ndash;12 and people with disabilities &euro;6 &middot; <strong>museum + &euro;1<\/strong> (combo only)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Guided tour:<\/strong> &euro;35 flat rate (1&ndash;5 people) or &euro;5 per person from 6 up &ndash; booking required, 30 minutes<\/li>\n<li><strong>Season:<\/strong> early March to around 14 November &ndash; <strong>closed in winter<\/strong> (except 26&ndash;31 Dec and 1&ndash;6 Jan)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Midday closure:<\/strong> 1&ndash;3pm (summer 1&ndash;4pm)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shows:<\/strong> Jul&ndash;Sep 6pm, Oct&ndash;14 Nov 5pm, duration 50 minutes &ndash; <strong>never on Sundays<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Languages:<\/strong> explanatory panels available in German<\/li>\n<li><strong>Info:<\/strong> museum +39 0931 586360 &middot; theatre +39 0931 465540<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Why the Visit Is Worth It<\/h2>\n<p>The Syracuse Pupi tradition was <strong>dead<\/strong>. Not endangered, not in decline &ndash; over. In 1948, at the request of the tourist office of the day, Ernesto Puzzo&rsquo;s family gave its final performance, and then there was silence for thirty years.<\/p>\n<p>That you can see Pupi in Ortigia today is thanks to a pastry chef. In the 1920s, as a young man, <strong>Saro Vaccaro<\/strong> had gone to work in Ernesto Puzzo&rsquo;s workshop and learned construction and dramaturgy there despite &ndash; as the house itself writes &ndash; professional jealousy. An illness paralysed the left side of his body in 1936. Around 1950 he built his first own Pupi in a workshop in the Vicolo dell&rsquo;Ulivo, later bringing in his brother Alfredo. On <strong>5 July 1978<\/strong>, the Vaccaro brothers performed in the church of San Giovannello alla Giudecca &ndash; thirty years after the tradition had ended.<\/p>\n<p>That is exactly what makes this house what it is: not a museum <em>about<\/em> a vanished tradition, but the collection of those who brought it back. Today <strong>Alfredo Mauceri<\/strong>, grandson of Alfredo Vaccaro, runs the theatre and the museum. Italy&rsquo;s Ministero della Cultura has recognised the company as a <strong>puppet theatre of national significance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Who Is This Museum For?<\/h2>\n<table class=\"ts-decision-matrix\">\n<thead><tr><th>Criterion<\/th><th>Well suited<\/th><th>Limitations<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Families<\/td><td>50-minute show, children&rsquo;s price &euro;6<\/td><td>never a show on Sundays<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>German-speaking visitors<\/td><td>explanatory panels in German<\/td><td>guided tours only in Italian and English<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Anyone wanting only the museum<\/td><td>&ndash;<\/td><td>no standalone museum price published<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Ortigia visitors<\/td><td>right in the Jewish quarter, steps from Piazza del Duomo<\/td><td>midday closure 1&ndash;3pm \/ 1&ndash;4pm<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Off-season travellers<\/td><td>&ndash;<\/td><td><strong>closed mid-November to end of February<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>After the Pasqualino in Palermo<\/td><td>the other perspective: a family of performers instead of a world collection<\/td><td>noticeably smaller &ndash; the tour lasts 30 minutes<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>With a rental car<\/td><td>&ndash;<\/td><td>Ortigia ZTL; restricted hours change several times a year<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<h2>Tickets &ndash; the &euro;1 Price Is Not Admission<\/h2>\n<p>The ticket structure is unusual and is regularly misunderstood:<\/p>\n<table class=\"ts-decision-matrix\">\n<thead><tr><th>Offer<\/th><th>Price<\/th><th>Note<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Show, adults<\/td><td>12 euros<\/td><td>at the Teatro Alfeo, Via della Giudecca 22<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Show, children 3&ndash;12 and people with disabilities<\/td><td>6 euros<\/td><td>&ndash;<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>Museum as an add-on to a show ticket<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>+ 1 euro<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>combination only<\/strong> &ndash; present your ticket at the museum desk<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Guided tour, group of 1&ndash;5<\/td><td>35 euros flat rate<\/td><td>booking required, 30 minutes, IT\/EN<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Guided tour, from 6 people<\/td><td>5 euros per person<\/td><td>ditto<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>So the &euro;1 museum visit is not a ticket in itself, but a combo promotion.<\/strong> You buy the show ticket online, present it at the museum desk and pay one euro extra. Included are a self-guided museum visit with explanatory panels in five languages &ndash; <strong>German among them<\/strong> &ndash; and a reserved seat at the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A standalone museum price without a show and without a guided tour is published nowhere.<\/strong> We therefore quote none. A figure of &euro;1 flat that circulates online does not come from the house.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Regional-museum rules do not apply here<\/strong> &ndash; no free first Sunday, no age-tier discount under the regional standard. The operator is a private association.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Two Addresses &ndash; Please Don&rsquo;t Mix Them Up<\/h2>\n<p>This is the most practically important point on this page. <strong>The museum and the theatre are on the same street, but in two different buildings:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Museum: Via della Giudecca 78<\/strong>, in the Palazzo Midiri-Cardona. Phone 0931 586360.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Teatro Alfeo: Via della Giudecca 22.<\/strong> Phone 0931 465540. This is where the shows take place.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>association&rsquo;s registered address, Piazza San Giuseppe 32<\/strong>, is its legal seat &ndash; not the museum entrance. For navigation, use Via della Giudecca 78.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Opening Hours and Show Schedule<\/h2>\n<table class=\"ts-decision-matrix\">\n<thead><tr><th>Period<\/th><th>Museum<\/th><th>Show<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Early March &ndash; 30 June<\/td><td>11am&ndash;1pm and 3&ndash;7pm<\/td><td>&ndash;<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>July &ndash; September<\/td><td>11am&ndash;1pm and <strong>4&ndash;8pm<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>6:00pm<\/strong>, except Sundays<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>October &ndash; 14 November<\/td><td>11am&ndash;1pm and 3&ndash;7pm<\/td><td><strong>5:00pm<\/strong>, except Sundays<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>15 November &ndash; end of February<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>closed<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>none<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>26&ndash;31 December<\/td><td>3&ndash;7pm<\/td><td>5:00pm<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>1&ndash;6 January<\/td><td>3&ndash;7pm<\/td><td>5:00pm<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Three traps hide in this table.<\/strong> First, the <strong>winter closure<\/strong> from roughly mid-November to the end of February &ndash; apart from the Christmas and New Year windows. Second, the <strong>midday closure<\/strong>: shut between 1 and 3pm, in summer until 4pm &ndash; exactly the hours many Ortigia visitors would have free. Third: <strong>there is never a show on Sundays<\/strong>, in any month of the schedule.<\/p>\n<p>The cycles performed come from the Paladins&rsquo; repertoire &ndash; in July, for instance, <em>L&rsquo;inganno di Angelica<\/em> and <em>Orlando al ponte della morte<\/em>, in September the Gradasso cycle, in October and November Rinaldo. A show lasts <strong>50 minutes<\/strong>. Tickets run through the house&rsquo;s SIAE-certified box-office system, not through resellers. Honestly noted: the house contradicts itself on the season start &ndash; one page names 1 March, the other 2 March.<\/p>\n<p>Besides the show and the guided tour, the house offers <strong>behind-the-scenes visits<\/strong>, workshop tours, theatricalised tours and creative workshops for children.<\/p>\n\n<h2>The Schools &ndash; and Why We Are Cautious About Syracuse<\/h2>\n<p>The house itself writes that Sicily has <strong>three<\/strong> schools: Palermo, Catania and Syracuse. This account appears in many guidebooks. We do not adopt it uncritically, and there is a reason for that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>UNESCO recognises two<\/strong> main Sicilian schools &ndash; Palermo and Catania &ndash; distinguished by the size and shape of the puppets, the operating technique and the stage backdrops. The scholarly typology of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/museo-marionette-pasqualino-palermo\/\">Marionette Museum in Palermo<\/a> likewise recognises three types &ndash; Palermo, Catania and <strong>Naples<\/strong>. Syracuse appears in neither primary source.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Syracuse indisputably has<\/strong> is its own dynastic line &ndash; Puzzo, Vaccaro, Mauceri &ndash; its own repertoire, and its own history of interruption and revival. The house itself describes its work as restoring the <em>opra dei pupi<\/em> of Syracuse with philological fidelity, not as a distinct technical school with its own mechanics. <strong>There are no documented technical distinguishing features of a third school.<\/strong> We therefore phrase it as: a distinct local tradition &ndash; not a third school.<\/p>\n\n<h2>What You&rsquo;ll See<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pupi, marionettes, stage props and scenographic material<\/strong> tracing the history of the Vaccaro brothers &ndash; the collection of those who brought the tradition back.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Figures from around the world<\/strong> &ndash; a newer section with hand puppets, marionettes and shadow figures; it keeps growing. The house puts it this way: East and West meet in the museum.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explanatory panels in five languages<\/strong>, German included.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The museum was founded in <strong>2006<\/strong> and occupies the <strong>Palazzo Midiri-Cardona<\/strong> in the Jewish quarter, the Giudecca, a few steps from Piazza del Duomo.<\/p>\n<p>A notable footnote from the house&rsquo;s recent history: in <strong>2020, more than 140 Pupi built in its own workshops were stolen<\/strong> &ndash; according to the house, by some members of the same association. Mauceri and Katia Di Giovanni had to rebuild them.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>The museum is at <strong>Via della Giudecca 78<\/strong> on Ortigia, the theatre at number 22 &ndash; a few steps from Piazza del Duomo, in the heart of the Jewish quarter with its baroque balconies and narrow lanes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>We deliberately name no times for Ortigia&rsquo;s ZTL.<\/strong> The restricted hours are strictly enforced and are reissued by ordinance several times a year. The last regulation published on the Comune&rsquo;s website was valid until 31 March 2026 &ndash; no successor regulation could be found there. We therefore invent no times. <strong>The reliable recommendation is: park outside Ortigia and walk in.<\/strong> Anyone who needs exact figures should ask the city police&rsquo;s Ufficio Gestione ZTL. More on the city: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/places\/siracusa\/\">Syracuse<\/a>; more generally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/nahverkehr-sizilien\/\">Buses &amp; trains in Sicily<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/car-rental-sicily\/\">Car rental in Sicily<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Accessibility and photography:<\/strong> not published. The reduced show price for people with disabilities says nothing about the structural accessibility of a historic palazzo. If needed, clarify in advance: 0931 586360.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Best Time to Visit and Common Mistakes<\/h2>\n<p>Season matters more here than at any other house in the cluster. The most common mistakes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Coming in winter.<\/strong> Closed mid-November to end of February &ndash; except between Christmas and Epiphany.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hoping for a show on Sunday.<\/strong> Never happens.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dropping by at midday.<\/strong> Closed between 1 and 3pm or 4pm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Typing only &ldquo;Teatro dei Pupi&rdquo; into the sat-nav.<\/strong> Museum no. 78, theatre no. 22.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Taking the &euro;1 price for admission.<\/strong> It only applies together with a show ticket.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For a seasonal overview, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/best-time-to-visit-sicily\/\">Best Time to Visit Sicily<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Nearby<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/sehenswuerdigkeiten\/dom-von-syrakus\/\">Syracuse Cathedral<\/a><\/strong> and Piazza del Duomo &ndash; a few steps away.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Giudecca<\/strong> &ndash; the Jewish quarter around the museum, with baroque balconies and early Christian churches.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/palazzo-bellomo-syracuse\/\">Palazzo Bellomo<\/a><\/strong> &ndash; Antonello&rsquo;s Annunciazione, also on Ortigia.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/sehenswuerdigkeiten\/fonte-aretusa-siracusa\/\">Fonte Aretusa<\/a><\/strong> &ndash; the museum&rsquo;s namesake is right around the corner.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/museo-marionette-pasqualino-palermo\/\">Museo Pasqualino in Palermo<\/a><\/strong> &ndash; the great counterpart, if you want to compare both houses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ts-faq\">\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>What does a visit to the Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi cost?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>The show ticket costs 12 euros, 6 euros for children aged 3 to 12 and for people with disabilities. Visiting the museum costs only 1 euro extra &ndash; but only in combination: you buy the show ticket online and present it at the desk. A standalone museum admission without a show is published nowhere. A guided tour costs 35 euros flat for one to five people, 5 euros per head from six people up.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>Do Sicily&rsquo;s regional-museum rules apply here?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>No. The operator is the Associazione La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri, a private association founded in 1999 &ndash; not a regional-museum house. There is therefore no free first Sunday, no under-18s-free rule and no 50 percent tier for 18- to 25-year-olds. The Ministero della Cultura has, however, recognised the company as a puppet theatre of national significance &ndash; that is a distinction, not a form of public ownership.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>Are the museum and the theatre in the same place?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>No, and this is the most common mix-up. The museum is at Via della Giudecca 78, the Teatro Alfeo on the same street at number 22. Two different buildings. Anyone who types only &ldquo;Teatro dei Pupi&rdquo; into their sat-nav ends up at the wrong entrance.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>When are the shows?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>From July to September, daily except Sundays at 6pm; in October and until mid-November at 5pm, plus fixed programmes between 26 December and 6 January. A show lasts 50 minutes. There is never a show on Sundays, in any month.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>Is the museum open in winter?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>Largely not. The season runs from early March to around 14 November; after that it is closed, except for the windows from 26 to 31 December and 1 to 6 January. This is the biggest trap for off-season travellers.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>When is the museum open during the day?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>From March to June and in October until mid-November, 11am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm. In summer, i.e. July to September, 11am to 1pm and 4 to 8pm. The hard constraint is the midday closure: shut between 1 and 3 or 4pm &ndash; exactly when many Ortigia visitors would have time.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>Are explanations available in German?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>Yes. The museum uses explanatory panels in five languages: Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. Booked guided tours, however, are only available in Italian and English.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>Is there really a Syracuse school of Pupi?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>The house itself claims so, but it cannot be documented. UNESCO recognises only two Sicilian schools, Palermo and Catania, distinguished by size, mechanics and operating technique. The scholarly typology of the Marionette Museum in Palermo likewise recognises Palermo, Catania and Naples &ndash; Syracuse in neither. What Syracuse indisputably has is its own dynastic line with its own repertoire. Technical distinguishing features of a third school, however, are nowhere independently documented.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>How did the tradition come to Syracuse?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>Through three families. The pioneer was Francesco Puzzo, a plumber and decorator, who built his first Pupo at 18 and debuted in a cellar vault in Ortigia in 1877. His sons carried it on, last Ernesto until 1944; in 1948 the curtain fell. In the 1920s the pastry chef Saro Vaccaro had trained in Ernesto&rsquo;s workshop; on 5 July 1978, thirty years after the last Puzzo performance, the Vaccaro brothers brought their Pupi back to the stage. Today Alfredo Mauceri, grandson of Alfredo Vaccaro, runs the house.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<details class=\"ts-faq__item\"><summary>How big is the museum?<\/summary><div class=\"ts-faq__a\"><p>Small. The official guided tour lasts 30 minutes &ndash; that is the house&rsquo;s most honest indication of its scale. Anyone arriving from the Museo Pasqualino in Palermo will find a very different scale here. That is not a shortcoming but a different thing: there, a research institute with a world collection; here, the collection of a family of performers next to their own stage.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"ts-offer\">\n<h3>Syracuse and the Southeast<\/h3>\n<p>Ortigia, Neapolis, Noto and the Val di Noto coast combine well into a calm, dense itinerary &ndash; we put it together and book the accommodation. Just send us a no-obligation travel request.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"ts-offer__cta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/reise-anfragen\/\">Request your trip now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Sources &amp; Updates<\/h2>\n<p>Ownership, prices, opening hours, show schedule, the collection and the family history follow the website of the Associazione La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri (museum and Teatro Alfeo); the UNESCO status of the Opera dei Pupi (proclaimed 2001, inscribed on the Representative List 2008, dossier 00011) and the statement on the two main Sicilian schools follow the primary source ich.unesco.org; the typology of the Pupi follows the scholarly collection description of the Museo Pasqualino in Palermo; ZTL responsibility follows the Comune di Siracusa. As of: 17 July 2026. Explicitly left open, being contradictory or unverified: a standalone museum admission without a show, the season start (1 or 2 March), a closing day, accessibility, photography rules, and the currently valid ZTL hours for Ortigia &ndash; the most recently published ordinance expired on 31 March 2026. The house&rsquo;s claim of a distinct Syracuse school is not supported by any independent primary source. Admission and opening hours are time-dependent and should be checked before your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@graph&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;BreadcrumbList&#8221;,&#8221;itemListElement&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ListItem&#8221;,&#8221;position&#8221;:1,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Home&#8221;,&#8221;item&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/&#8221;},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ListItem&#8221;,&#8221;position&#8221;:2,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Sights in Sicily&#8221;,&#8221;item&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/&#8221;},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;ListItem&#8221;,&#8221;position&#8221;:3,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi&#8221;,&#8221;item&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/museo-aretuseo-pupi-siracusa\/&#8221;}]},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Museum&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi&#8221;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Collection of the Vaccaro-Mauceri family of puppeteers on Ortigia in Syracuse, at the Palazzo Midiri-Cardona. The family revived Syracuse&#8217;s Pupi tradition in 1978, thirty years after it had ended. Operated by a private association; the associated Teatro Alfeo is on the same street at number 22.&#8221;,&#8221;url&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/sights\/museo-aretuseo-pupi-siracusa\/&#8221;,&#8221;inLanguage&#8221;:&#8221;en&#8221;,&#8221;touristType&#8221;:[&#8220;Families&#8221;,&#8221;Culture travelers&#8221;],&#8221;address&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;PostalAddress&#8221;,&#8221;streetAddress&#8221;:&#8221;Via della Giudecca 78&#8243;,&#8221;addressLocality&#8221;:&#8221;Siracusa&#8221;,&#8221;postalCode&#8221;:&#8221;96100&#8243;,&#8221;addressRegion&#8221;:&#8221;Sicily&#8221;,&#8221;addressCountry&#8221;:&#8221;IT&#8221;},&#8221;telephone&#8221;:&#8221;+39 0931 586360&#8243;,&#8221;isAccessibleForFree&#8221;:false},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;FAQPage&#8221;,&#8221;mainEntity&#8221;:[{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;What does a visit to the Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi cost?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;The show ticket costs 12 euros, 6 euros for children aged 3 to 12 and for people with disabilities. Visiting the museum costs only 1 euro extra \u2013 but only in combination: you buy the show ticket online and present it at the desk. A standalone museum admission without a show is published nowhere. A guided tour costs 35 euros flat for one to five people, 5 euros per head from six people up.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Do Sicily&#8217;s regional-museum rules apply here?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;No. The operator is the Associazione La Compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri, a private association founded in 1999 \u2013 not a regional-museum house. There is therefore no free first Sunday, no under-18s-free rule and no 50 percent tier for 18- to 25-year-olds. The Ministero della Cultura has, however, recognised the company as a puppet theatre of national significance \u2013 that is a distinction, not a form of public ownership.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Are the museum and the theatre in the same place?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;No, and this is the most common mix-up. The museum is at Via della Giudecca 78, the Teatro Alfeo on the same street at number 22. Two different buildings. Anyone who types only &#8216;Teatro dei Pupi&#8217; into their sat-nav ends up at the wrong entrance.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;When are the shows?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;From July to September, daily except Sundays at 6pm; in October and until mid-November at 5pm, plus fixed programmes between 26 December and 6 January. A show lasts 50 minutes. There is never a show on Sundays, in any month.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Is the museum open in winter?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;Largely not. The season runs from early March to around 14 November; after that it is closed, except for the windows from 26 to 31 December and 1 to 6 January. This is the biggest trap for off-season travellers.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;When is the museum open during the day?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;From March to June and in October until mid-November, 11am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm. In summer, i.e. July to September, 11am to 1pm and 4 to 8pm. The hard constraint is the midday closure: shut between 1 and 3 or 4pm \u2013 exactly when many Ortigia visitors would have time.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Are explanations available in German?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;Yes. The museum uses explanatory panels in five languages: Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. Booked guided tours, however, are only available in Italian and English.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Is there really a Syracuse school of Pupi?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;The house itself claims so, but it cannot be documented. UNESCO recognises only two Sicilian schools, Palermo and Catania, distinguished by size, mechanics and operating technique. The scholarly typology of the Marionette Museum in Palermo likewise recognises Palermo, Catania and Naples \u2013 Syracuse in neither. What Syracuse indisputably has is its own dynastic line with its own repertoire. Technical distinguishing features of a third school, however, are nowhere independently documented.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;How did the tradition come to Syracuse?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;Through three families. The pioneer was Francesco Puzzo, a plumber and decorator, who built his first Pupo at 18 and debuted in a cellar vault in Ortigia in 1877. His sons carried it on, last Ernesto until 1944; in 1948 the curtain fell. In the 1920s the pastry chef Saro Vaccaro had trained in Ernesto&#8217;s workshop; on 5 July 1978, thirty years after the last Puzzo performance, the Vaccaro brothers brought their Pupi back to the stage. Today Alfredo Mauceri, grandson of Alfredo Vaccaro, runs the house.&#8221;}},{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Question&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;How big is the museum?&#8221;,&#8221;acceptedAnswer&#8221;:{&#8220;@type&#8221;:&#8221;Answer&#8221;,&#8221;text&#8221;:&#8221;Small. The official guided tour lasts 30 minutes \u2013 that is the house&#8217;s most honest indication of its scale. Anyone arriving from the Museo Pasqualino in Palermo will find a very different scale here. That is not a shortcoming but a different thing: there, a research institute with a world collection; here, the collection of a family of performers next to their own stage.&#8221;}}]}]}\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In short: The Museo Aretuseo dei Pupi on Ortigia is the collection of a family of puppeteers &ndash; the Vaccaro-Mauceri, who in 1978 revived Syracuse&rsquo;s Pupi tradition thirty years after it had died out. Three things to know: the museum and the theatre are two different addresses, the museum is closed in winter (roughly mid-November [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3675,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3828","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3829,"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3828\/revisions\/3829"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.treffpunkt-sizilien.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}