Bergamo Opens Italy's First Puppet Museum

Bergamo has inaugurated the Museo del Burattino, the first museum dedicated to puppet theater in Italy. Located on the top floor of the Palazzo della Provincia di Bergamo, the museum aims to preserve and promote the city's rich puppet tradition, which combines popular theater and craftsmanship. The project is led by the Fondazione Ravasio, which has collected over 120 wooden puppet heads from private collections, including those of the Angelini, Losa, Milesi, Scuri, and Cortesi families. The museum's collection is based on the Fondo Ravasio and significant family holdings. The foundation emphasizes the urgency of saving this heritage from oblivion, noting that the puppet tradition in Bergamo is among the most important nationally. The museum will also offer educational programs for schools starting next academic year. The Fondazione Ravasio, established in 1990, has collaborated with the University of Bergamo and organizes the Borghi & Burattini festival and the Pina e Benedetto Ravasio national award. The museum is named after Benedetto Ravasio, a puppeteer who spread the Bergamo tradition across Italy during the television boom.