Enter the New Citadel of the Putignano Carnival and discover the place where imagination takes shape, grows into a show, and is transformed into the famous Papier-mâché Giants. This guided tour takes you behind the scenes of one of Puglia's most amazing traditions, in a creative space where master papier-mâché artists and specialised collaborators work every day.
The Cittadella is located on the outskirts of Putignano and houses five imposing hangars, monumental places that are already impressive due to the size of their doors, which are about 12 metres wide and high. As you pass through these spaces, you will enter the operational heart of the Carnival: a world of stage structures, sketches, paper, mechanisms, colours, and skilled hands capable of transforming an idea into a spectacular work.
During the visit, the official Carnival guides will accompany you as you discover the techniques, materials and creative processes that make Putignano's papier-mâché tradition unique. You will discover how the floats are created and how real automatic stage machines are made, some as tall as a five-story building and covered with a thin layer of paper worked with great precision.
The tour is also a journey into the cultural value of the Putignano Carnival: not just a party, but a collective identity, craftsmanship, satire, creativity, and memory. Each hangar tells a piece of this storey, showing how much work, ingenuity and passion are needed to create figures that amaze young and old.
The experience is curated by APS Lavori dal Basso ETS, an organisation authorised by the Putignano Carnival Foundation to conduct guided visits with the official Carnival guides. A special opportunity to discover a place normally associated with the preparation and magic of the show, taking a close look behind the scenes of a living, powerful, and ever-evolving tradition.
Perfect for families, curious travellers, craft enthusiasts, and lovers of authentic experiences, this guided tour will make you look at papier-mâché with new eyes: not as a simple material, but as a creative language capable of creating wonder.
