Burattini in Villa

On Saturday 28 February 2026, from 3:30 pm, the Museum of Rural Civilization in San Marino di Bentivoglio (BO) hosts the event Burattini in Villa.

An afternoon dedicated to dialogue and exchange between the traditions of Bolognese and Modenese puppet theatre, through an in-depth exploration of the character of Sandrone.

The initiative benefits from the scholarly contribution of expert Gian Paolo Borghi and Stefano Bulgarelli from the Civic Museum of Modena.

Programme:

• 3:30 pm
  The Mask and the Peasant: Sandrone between Bologna and Modena. Lecture by Gian Paolo Borghi and Stefano Bulgarelli.
  
  
• 4:30 pm
  Sandrone, King of the Mamalucchi – A performance for adults and children, by I Burattini di Mattia, an association awarded the De.Co. designation by the Municipality of Bologna.
  Rosina is desperate. Her father Sandrone, a rough peasant, has had his fortune told by a card reader, who convinced him that he will become very rich. As a result, Sandrone begins buying jewels and all kinds of riches, bringing his family to ruin. He also forbids his daughter from marrying Fagiolino, her fiancé. Undeterred, the two young lovers, protected by a wealthy holidaymaker from the village, decide to teach Sandrone a lesson: they make him the “King of the Mamalucchi,” ruler of a very peculiar kingdom. Sandrone soon finds himself having to manage a realm full of regulations, laws, procedures, and customs, which ultimately make him lose all desire to become rich and important.