The book traces the development and success in Sicily of the chivalric tradition based on the Medieval stories of Charlemagne and his knights. Through the analyses of its manifestations in various fields (storytelling, puppet shows, festivals, cart painting and other products of folk art), a good part of Sicilian traditions and culture is focused, with the goal of obtaining a multi-level portrait of an island which is unique for its geography and history. Interviews with puppeteers are reported, while hand painted cart panels and playbills posters are described and illustrated. The pervasive diffusion of the chivalric tradition in Sicily is explained, at least in part, by the predominance of the so-called
sense of honor
that has permeated Sicilian life. Other information regards the story of the Cuticchios, a family of puppeteers, and sheds further light on the hardship and uncertain future of this art.