Giufà, or Giucà as he is referred to in some areas of the country, is a character of Italian folklore.
It is believed that during Islamic rule of the island of Sicily,[2] stories of this man (known in Arabic as Juha) were absorbed into the Sicilian oral tradition, transformed to exemplify cultural norms and eventually transmitted throughout southern Italy.
Although Giufà is most often recognized as the "village fool", his actions and words usually serve to provide a moral message.
It is his peers' reactions, rather than Giufà's outrageous behavior, that are judged at the end of each story.
Giufà is also the protagonist of Leonardo Sciascia’s tale of the same name in the short-story collection The Wine-Dark Sea.