I attended a press conference for Donnafugata winery’s upcoming Calici di Stelle event. We were hosted in the beautiful international marionette museum in Palermo, Sicily. As we toured through the museum, I discovered a hidden jewel right in the middle of my city. Antonio Pasqualino’s Museo Internazionale delle Marionette houses an incredible collection of handmade theatre puppets. As we learned all about the relationship Donnafugata has with the Sicilian art of puppet theatre, Josè Rallo announced Donnafugata’s project to restore two puppets as a contribution to the museum.
During the preview, Ms. Rallo described Sicily so eloquently as a symphony of colors and perfumes in the center of the mediterranean that was once powerful Magna Grecia and the beginning of winemaking history. Inside her wines, people want to find sustainability, nature, stories and culture. That’s why they connected so deeply with the history and storytelling of the Sicilian puppet theatre. Several Donnafugata wines have taken names from characters of the “opera dei pupi” in the past; so it didn’t come as a surprise to hear the Napoli brothers explaining the symbolic connections between their Princess Angelica and the elegant La Fuga chardonnay or gallant Knight Bradamante representing the Floramundi DOCG cerasuolo di vittoria blend.
The 22nd annual vineyard event will be held on August 10, the night of San Lorenzo’s shooting stars. It will be an evening in the Contessa Entellina vineyards, celebrating Sicilian culture with performances from the Invisible Orchestra and Sicilian puppeteering family, Fratelli Napoli.
Here’s the scoop…
Wine + the Art of the Sicilian Puppet Opera
WHAT: Donnafugata Calico=i di Stelle
WHERE: Tenuta di Donnafugata in Contessa Entellina
WHEN: 10 August, 2019 from 9PM-1AM
TICKETS: €30 online, €35 at the door
*This is a party in the countryside. Eat a bite before the event.
Calice di Stelle includes wine and small tastings, but not a full dinner.
