The International Puppet Museum is dedicated to its founder, Antonio Pasqualino, a renowned anthropologist and physician, who loved Sicilian traditions and, in particular, the Opera dei pupi. The puppet opera, a treasure of Sicilian culture, is so important that in 2001 it was declared Masterpiece of the Intangible and Oral Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.
After founding the Association for the Preservation of Popular Traditions in 1965, he established the International Puppet Museum in 1975. The Museum is spread over three levels and includes a room for the theatre programme. It houses 3500 pieces from all continents: Sicilian puppets, marionettes and stage equipment. The Museum Centre runs many initiatives: courses, workshops, exhibitions, conferences and the Morgana Festival, which attracts artists from all over the world and is now in its XXXVIII edition.