Vincenzo

Pandolfo

They assigned me to Vincenzo Pandolfo and I met buddy Virticchio.
«Buddy Nofriu we have to tell the our friends’ story! Don’t waste your time telling our business.»
«Buddy Virticchiu you are right we have to get to remote times! Enzo was the protagonist of a long and intrigued story»

Childhood

Enzo grew up around fishermen, at the times of the World War II, in a Mondello, that he always reminded with love and a touch of nostalgia. He was saying a Mondello full of fishes that now, he always said, there are no more.

The beginning

The little boy has grown up and he was hooked on us the puppets and the theatre, when his father took him to a show of the famous storyteller Ciccio Busacca. His first love take us here!
We are now more than 100, between puppets and paladins, we are a big theatre troupe. Curtains, paintings on copper, posters and chess, edges and parts of sicilian carts.

The handycraft

Art and fine craftsmanship had always been of his interest, he admired them with curious but already little blind eye. Ceramist and then antiquarian, in his shop you could find beauties of all sorts.

Giuditta

Great love was his life companion, Giuditta Lelio, actress that was continuing with big proud the old tradition of Lelio’s family.
In 1990 with the opening of Lelio Theatre, in Palermo, Enzo joins all his great loves: Giuditta, drama and puppet theatre.

Theatre

Lelio Theatre become our home. There we performed, the Opera came to life basted and guided by the puppeteer skilled hands of Bumbello and Argento families. Great was the space and Enzo gives us more companions, 130 cm high, beautiful to look even from a distance.

Pending projects

Enzo now blind, was loving us and taking care of us. We became family heritage, his nephews and the daughter love us and they bring forward his mission with the same attention and respect: to enhance the handsomeness of this piece of history of our beautiful Sicily.

The memory

Enzo left a big emptiness but his thought was for us: “I recommend the puppets”. Now Enzo is not with us anymore and we moved to another home, but we are having good time.
If you want to come and visit us, you will find us all settled and lined up. The City of Castelbuono is our new homeland and Francesco Minà Palumbo Museum hosts us.

Our history

«Buddy Nofriu, this is the beautiful history of Vincenzo Pandolfo, but where do we come from?»
«Buddy Virticchio you are right but for telling our history we have to centuries back, probably it’s better to change page.»
«My goodness buddy, you are a walking encyclopedia!»