Pulcinella

“ Pulcinella ”, the most popular Neapolitan mask. The one that celebrates the fun side of life and all the positive feelings that belong to Neapolitan culture. Together with pizza, Pulcinella is the soul and history of Naples.

The mask has very ancient origins. It first appeared in 1300, when its name stood for " little chick " and was used to indicate a careless and time-wasting person.
Subsequently, its origins were attributed to Silvio Fiorillo , an art playwright of the 1500s who, during his performances, used to wear a completely different type of mask from the one we know today; it is, in fact, a typical "half mask", also called "wolf", with a large curved nose, a face full of wrinkles and very small eyes.
These particular characteristics, together with a shrill voice, make the mask more similar to a black chanterelle, from which the word "polleciniello" derives