Summertime in Polizzi
18 March 2026
By Suzanne Turrisi
Music, theatre and lively street bars
Summer 2025 in Polizzi was animated and enticing with long evenings of music, theatre, local festivals, the ceremonious unveiling of a beautiful statue, restaurants full and lively, evening strolling and soft sunsets with people simply enjoying Polizzi Generosa, a medieval mountain village high in the Madonie National Park.
With clear skies, luminous light, small bars and restaurants with tables and chairs spilling onto streets and piazzas it was a time to linger, to chat and enjoy “Polizzi in Summer”. I spent about 5 weeks in Polizzi last summer.
Add the joy of watching Polizzani returning for the summer, tasty local food, summer fruits, ice cream and the best aperitivi and wine, it was memorable. The days were warm and clear, and the nights cooler with the back streets quiet.
Sicilian theatre, ancient stories and Mimmo Cuticchio
Summer festivals offer some of the best of what Sicily can be and summer 2025 in Polizzi Generosa showcased the cultural heart of Polizzi - celebrating the arts and tradition. The performances by the respected and long-standing Sicilian puppet theatre ‘Teatro di Mimmo Cuticchio’ were unique. The passionate founder and owner, Mimmo Cuticchio was like a legendary Shakespearian actor.
His unique theatre group was in Polizzi for a long summer program- “La Macchina dei Sogni”-from August 4th to the 10th. Mesmerising. In particular the performance of Virgil’s epic poem, Eneide’ (Aeneid). The stirring music by composer Giacomo Cuticchio and the powerful simple sound effects were transfixing. I came to know that the ancient poem of Aeneid inspired this soul stirring production of the searching for a new homeland ‘fugge da guerre and distruzione’ - escaping war and destruction.
I was so pleased to see them and their exhibition in Polizzi’s public library was not only full of the troupe’s history but also a chance to meet the iconic Mimmo Cuticchio and members of his talented theatre group. Even though my Italian is not good enough to catch a lot in the performances the emotion and passion of the stories, music and actors transported me.
And a puppet making workshop for children which ended in a theatre production was wonderful. Magical.
Celebrating the delicious hazelnut and world dance traditions
The festival of the tiny Hazelnut, ‘La Sagra delle Nocciole’ - hazelnut groves once dotted Polizzi’s countryside - welcomed numerous professional international dance and music troupes.
It was wonderful, traditional and emotive entertainment with a colourful night time concert, street parades featuring the dance groups, horse drawn Sicilian carts and popular food stalls lining the edge of the Polizzi’s main piazza Piazza Trinata… I loved the traditional dancing and music from distant places including Mexico and Poland. And a very big crowd filled Piazza Trinita…Polizzi’s huge outdoor sitting room.
Wonderful laughter in the piazza
A charming travelling theatre group “Compagnia Girovago and Rondella” from Rome performed magical shows in a restored fairy tale like caravan. Their passion for theatre and music was spectacular. Heartfelt. And tucked in the Piazza Gramsci (a natural stage set) Mattei Zecchi’s company performed true “Punch and Judy” style puppet shows with “La Vendetta della Strega Morgana” which delighted audiences. Lots of laughter.
Giuseppe Antonio Borgese unveiled
And the unveiling of the beautifully rendered statue of Giuseppe Borgese (the renown Polizzano) in Piazza Trinita -the vision of Australian Sicilian artist Eolo Paul Bottaro -was a morning of perfected Sicilian pomp and ceremony.
Giuseppe Borgese born in Polizzi 1882 – a world respected poet, writer, critic and anti-fascist is also honoured in the spacious Borgese museum dedicated passionately to him in his restored family home. It is moving and filled with his writings and books. I saw it for the first time, that summer in 2025.
The summertime weeks in Polizzi were wonderful and I could have stayed to welcome the cooler autumn weather, the feast of the village patron saint (the revered San Gandolfo) in the last days of September and the enticing quiet and dark of the cold months. Another time.
Salve
Suzanne