During the summer months, Poggio Sannita transforms into a place that feels like an enchanted village. Along the streets, on balconies, and at doorways, not only residents but also dozens of figures made of fabric, straw, and imagination appear: the Babaci, life-sized puppets that tell the story of the community’s life, memory, dreams, and humor.
Every summer, the village comes alive with this open-air exhibition that combines folk art, creativity, and collective storytelling. The Babaci are handmade by locals, often within families or among friends, using simple and recycled materials. They take the form of farmers, grandparents on benches, playing children, couples in love, historical or humorous characters—real scenes of everyday life that warmly reflect the village’s most authentic face.
Each Babacio has a name, a pose, and often a story written beside it. Imagination knows no bounds: next to the laundry, there is the washerwoman; on a balcony, a musician with a clarinet; in the field, a farmer with his ox. The entire display seems to come alive, as if the village is telling its own story through needle, thread, and creativity.
The Babaci are much more than decorations—they are a way to preserve memory, pass down gestures and relationships, and share smiles together. They represent a model of collective participation that unites different generations in a creative and identity-building project.
Walking through Poggio Sannita during the Babaci season offers an exciting experience filled with wonder and small delights. It is an ephemeral but powerful form of art that transforms the village into an open-air theater of Molise’s memory.