Mandolin Giuseppe Puglisi reale (1890) Catania-Sicily.
 Handcrafted mandolin, built in the Neapolitan style, with a pine-fir top and the rest in rosewood. In Italy, Catania On the Island of Sicily. Inlaid with mother of pearl and wood on ebony.
 It was built by Father Giussepe, its construction is different from the later ones that his sons built from 1906. Still no frets were used, but metal bars embedded in the fingerboard. Original tuner working fine, no screws, gears attached with rivets. It has the authentic tortoiseshell pickguard.
 Although it has numerous signs of use its condition is very good and it works well with great sound. It has been totally restored. Perfect operation!
 
 G Puglisi, Reale & Figli
 The Puglisi family has started to build musical instruments in Catania (Sicily) since 1820. Giuseppe (G.) Reale was born in 1852 and was the son of a piano and organ builder. In 1880 he has founded one of the largest Italian factories for manufacturing bowed and plucked string instruments.
 After 1906 the firm`s name appears already as “G. Puglisi Reale i Figli (o) ”. Figli (o) means “sons” in Italian. The sons are Concetto Puglisi and Michelangelo Puglisi. Michelangelo Puglisi ran the workshop successfully after 1909 and his son Salvatore also played a part in this.
 They were active makers of fine violins (mainly), bows, strings, guitars, mandolins and unique cellos. Unfortunately the factory was destroyed during WWII by bombardment in 1943. Although it was rebuilt and some noted instruments were built after this time, many of the original Puglisi family subsequently migrated from Sicily to USA, Canada and Australia.
 After Salvatore`s death his son-in-law Buccheri took over the factory. Before he died he gave all the factory tools to Alfredo Privitera, who established the Privitera company in 1962, which makes the instruments like Puglisi used to make. The Privitera factory still exists in Catania and is located on “Via Scuto Costarelli