The beauty of the streets – Italian street art
How to learn about the present? How to discover a place’s culture and current values?
When one travels, usually learns about the history and the past of the place they’re visiting. Italy is a map of the last thousands of years’ events. But how to learn about the present? How to discover a place’s culture and current values? What a place has to say to its inhabitants and to whoever walks its streets?
One answer is street art. This form of art, very popular in past decades, it’s going back in being relevant and if it’s started as a form of protest and public outcry, it is now recognized as an authentic form of art, and major artists are called to decorate cities’s walls while also sending a message.
Let’s start a journey in Italian street art!
When in Naples
When in Naples, it’s hard not to run into wall paintings of all kinds, sizes, styles and topics. We selected a few and made a top 5 with the best picks!
N.5 “Nu ‘mmescà ‘e fantasme cu ll’angiule”
“Don’t mix up ghosts with angels”. A social graffiti that talks about inclusion, something very important and present in this part of the city.
N.4 “Tieneme ca te tengo”
“Hold me, I will hold you”, a symbol of the Neapolitan people: a strong community where one can rely on in difficult times. A reminder of empathy and compassion.
N.3 Maradona
Italians love soccer and it became a huge part of popular culture. Almost like a God figure, Maradona is a symbol of this city.
N.2 “Resis-ti-amo”
Who else loves love? This art is dedicated to two lovers, exceptionally painted on the wall of the church of an hospital. The two lovers, as the title suggests (“resist- I love you”), represent an opposition to violence and disease.
N.1 Banksy
The worldwide most important representative of the art of graffiti. His only opera in Italy is this representation of a Madonna who looks up to a gun: the duality of Naples and Italians, their devotion to religion and organized crime.
Discover more amazing graffiti in our latest newsletter! Subscribe here
