The 2 Best Shows in Sicily

1.Sicilian Puppet Show with visit behind the scenes

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 49 reviews · 1.5 hours Our pick

Spend 1.5 hours at Syracuse’s Opera dei Pupi, watching a traditional Italian-language puppet drama and taking a guided tour behind the stage. Learn how the wooden puppets work, hear about the art’s place in Sicilian culture, and, when offered, try moving one yourself. An English-speaking guide may be available.

“A very interesting and authentic experience! The show was dramatic with several different scenes featuring different puppets. The show itself was in Italian but we were presented with a brief overview of the plot in advance in English, which was helpful. The behind the scenes tour and discussion took place after the show, in English, and featured a fantastic and informative guide Pietro. He explained in detail all aspects of puppetry to us, and we even had a chance to try to navigate the puppets! It is not easy! Highly recommend this experience!”

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2.Museum Guided Tour with Sicilian Puppet show

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 27 reviews · 1.5 hours

In Syracuse, watch a traditional Opera dei Pupi performance based on Frankish tales such as The Song of Roland and Orlando furioso. The 1.5-hour experience pairs the Italian-language show with a guided theatre and museum visit when that option is selected. Expect detailed puppets, music and lively battles. No guide names are provided.

“Eigenlijk was alles leuk, origineel. De gids wist een heleboel de vertellen, de poppen in het museum zijn uniek, het poppentheater geweldig!”

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