Heir to a very long lineage of puppeteers, the Carlo Colla & Figli marionette company was established in 1861, and from 1911 to 1957 it had its permanent seat at the Teatro Gerolamo in Milano. Marionette shows have always relied on the craftsmanship of sculptors, set designers, costume designers, hairdressers and carpenters. The ateliers of Associazione Grupporiani were born in 1984 in order to recreate the structures that, in the past centuries, served as a support to the production activities of the great marionette companies.

Using the skills and personal abilities of the marionettists also for the work of creating everything necessary for the show, the ateliers of Associazione Grupporiani developed the figure of the "complete" puppeteer, who combines the work on stage with that of the workshops, in a cycle that leads from the raw material to the artistic product, making this structure unique in the world.