To offer visitors a complete overview of the work and commitment behind each performance, the atmosphere of a puppet-making workshop has been recreated, with the tools and stages of construction of the heads and hands carved from Swiss pine and then painted. The tailoring, the painting of the backdrops and the section of handwritten scripts.
Among the valuable items waiting to be discovered, the historic workbench that belonged to Demetrio Presini and was later sold to Riccardo Pazzaglia stands out. Pazzaglia continues to create new puppets in these very rooms. The puppet backdrops on display are paper ones produced between the 19th and 20th centuries by the set designers of the Teatro Comunale.
One area is dedicated to “cinema puppets” from Charlie Chaplin to Totò, from “Uccellacci Uccellini” to Gino Cervi and Fernandel, and even a Dr Balanzone who starred with the Bertolucci brothers in the short film “Bologna”, which can still be viewed on the Istituto Luce YouTube channel. Twenty-seven historical puppets on the “Colonna di San Simeone” alone, and much more.
Here, you can also "adopt" a puppet, following the custom of the Bolognese people, who, loving and feeling the legendary wooden heads as their own, never failed to collect them.
In addition to the exhibition, the theatre hall is open from November to April with an authentic theatre season.
“Burattini a Bologna Experience” is complemented by and interacts with some of the works in the museum, which can be appreciated during immersive guided tours.
The Puppet House hosts creative workshops and courses dedicated to the art of puppetry, courses for building and animating your own puppet, and a masterclass for adults led by master puppeteer Riccardo Pazzaglia
From June to September, the performances of classic Bolognese puppets move to Piazza Maggiore in the evocative location of the Cortile d'Onore of Palazzo d'Accursio with a packed program waiting to be discovered.
A special opportunity to enter the world of Bolognese puppet theater and experience it firsthand.
Bolognese Puppet House
Bolognese Puppet House
Bolognese Puppet House
Bolognese Puppet House
