Fantaghirò as an “Artivist” Adaptation: Gender Subversions from Italo Calvino’s Fairy Tale to Lamberto Bava’s Cult TV Series and Contemporary Fan Art

Abstract: Rewritten by Italo Calvino in Fiabe italiane (1956), the fairy tale “Fanta-Ghirò, persona bella” was transcribed in the nineteenth century by folklorist Gherardo nerucci as it was told to him by Luisa Ginanni, a Tuscan female peasant. In the 1990s, it turned into a popular transmedial phenomenon thanks to Lamberto Bava’s cult TV series Fantaghirò (1991–96). In recent years, this media franchise has also been at the core of the fan art project Fanzaghirò (2018). From its oral roots to contemporary fan art, this fairy tale lingers on the themes of feminine disobedience and illicit desire, offering a blending of entertainment and transgression. By critically engaging with several forms of participatory culture inspired by the TV series, this article brings to the fore the subversive features that render Fantaghirò an “artivist” fairy-tale adaptation.