On 18 May 2001 UNESCO recognised the Opera dei Pupi as a masterpiece of the “oral and intangible world heritage”. The “Theatre” was selected by a jury of 18 members chaired by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. The ancient Sicilian Puppet Theatre art had to endure more than one challenge in order to achieve this acknowledgement, unique in Europe's cultural panorama: the Sicilian Public Theatre is no longer what it was in the olden days, and no longer has its traditional public.