2 Best Places to Shop in Sicily, Italy

For a most unique and uplifting shopping experience, drop into Fabrizio Fazio's workshop and discover his entertaining, self-made journey to become the maestro craftsman of the traditional tamburo drum. Using traditional methods and natural products, including goatskin and wood, Fabrizio (a force of nature) creates variously sized drums for religious festivals, folkloric processions, and popular musicians. His workshop is filled with instruments of various sizes and timbres, which you can buy (he sends them globally). The tools of his trade and—most voluminously, his palpable passion for his craft—come through with every instrument.  

The Argento family has been in the puppet business since the late 19th century, and the tradition is alive and well in the hands of Vincenzo, whom you can see at work in his tiny workshop, or laboratorio artistico, near the cathedral. Here you will find puppets in all stages of production, with plenty of examples for sale in all their finery. The family also puts on daily puppet shows in nearby Via Novelli.