Comencini's Pinocchio puppet at the Libreria San Paolo in Turin
The Turin stop opened the national tour of the original puppet used in the television drama Le avventure di Pinocchio ("The Adventures of Pinocchio"), directed by Luigi Comencini and broadcast by Rai in April 1972. The exhibition, set up at the Libreria San Paolo on via della Consolata 1 bis, was the first of a series of initiatives organised as part of the celebrations for the two-hundredth anniversary of Carlo Collodi's birth [1].
The puppet and the TV drama
The drama was produced in 1972 by Rai and SanPaoloFilm (now Multimedia San Paolo), directed by Luigi Comencini. The cast included Nino Manfredi as Geppetto and, as a child actor, Andrea Balestri as Pinocchio; other performers included Vittorio De Sica, Gina Lollobrigida and the duo Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia. The five episodes aired on the Programma Nazionale channel in April 1972 [1][2].
According to Luca Poncina, head of the Turin bookshop, the puppet on display in Turin "is the last real puppet that was used" in the production, since the other puppets used during filming were lost due to the demands of the shoot [2]. The object is held by the Fondazione San Paolo Film [1].
The Turin programme
Between 17 and 21 September 2026 the bookshop organised initiatives and activities dedicated to Pinocchio, designed for children and families. On 18 September, actress Sara D'Amario read Collodi's novel to the audience present. The Turin events were organised by the Libreria San Paolo together with Musli — the Museum of the School and Children's Book of the Fondazione Tancredi di Barolo [1][2].
The tour's later stops
After Turin, the tour went on to Alba from 22 to 24 September, followed by Genoa (28-30 September), Milan (7-8 October), Florence (11-13 October) and Modena (15-17 October). The schedule also included stops in Vicenza, Padua, Parma, Catania, Rome, Bari, Pescara and Bergamo, as well as a special day on 9 October in Cinisello Balsamo, at Villa Casati Stampa, devoted entirely to Collodi's tale [1].
The organisers, Don Roberto Ponti, sole director of Multimedia San Paolo, and Don Antonio Rizzolo, sole director of Diffusione San Paolo, described the initiative as a way to "rediscover an important page of our history" and to turn the preservation of memory into an occasion to meet the public [1].
Related articles: Comencini's Pinocchio Puppet on Display in Turin, Libreria San Paolo (Turin), Luigi Comencini, The Pinocchio puppet from Comencini's TV series
Sources
- Quotidiano Piemontese — 17 September 2026
- la Repubblica Torino — 18 September 2026