“Fairy Tales Are True… Italian Popular History”: a must-see exhibition

Fairy Tales Are True… Italian Popular History: exhibition at MUCIV

Location: Museo delle Civiltà (MUCIV), Rome. Open until: 24 May 2026.

This extensive exhibition brings together around 500 objects that illustrate Italy's material culture and popular traditions. The displays highlight rituals, festivals, local crafts and everyday practices that have shaped the country's storytelling heritage.

Curated by Massimo Osanna and Andrea Viliani, with coordination by architect Maria Rosaria Lo Muzio, the show is designed for a wide audience: families, school groups and visitors with accessibility needs can enjoy tactile experiences thanks to partnerships with associations supporting people with disabilities, the blind and the deaf.

Highlights

• The Gigli of Nola, towering sacred structures carried in procession;
• church façades woven from plant fibers for Foglianise's Grain Festival;
• traditional carnival masks, including the Great Empress of Avellino;
• films and materials on the women of the Taranta dance tradition;
• festive machines of Santa Rosalia and Sant'Agata;
• Sicilian carts, bread molds, vintage board games and votive offerings;
• ritual objects and popular artifacts tied to local beliefs and superstitions.

The exhibition draws on fairy tales collected by Italo Calvino and reframes them through the fictional narrator Elio, a child storyteller who guides the visitor through the displays.

Visitor information

The show is suitable for educational visits and group tours. With tactile elements and collaboration with social organizations, it aims to be inclusive. Visitors should check the Museo delle Civiltà official website for up-to-date opening hours and ticketing details before planning their visit.

Why go: an opportunity to experience Italy’s regional traditions firsthand, from religious festivals to domestic crafts, and to appreciate the female presence in collective memory through everyday and ritual objects.