Here are 3 itineraries to discover Street Art in Forlì (Emilia Romagna, Italy). Walking through the historic center, you will enjoy works of art, as in an open-air museum!
Arrived in Forlì by train, a picturesque landscape, ancient buildings and walls covered with colorful works of art surprise me. Let’s walk towards the historic city center of Forlì, where our tour of the discovery of street art in Forlì begins.
Street art in Forlì
The historic center of Forlì is rich in street artworks, that is, art created on the walls of buildings using different techniques, from graffiti to stencils, from installations to murals.
When was this link between Forlì and street art came up? Since 2018 the ‘Street Art Festival Forlì Murali‘, an event held for two years in Forlì, has involved famous street artists. During this urban art event, street artists from all over the world were invited to create new murals on the walls of the city’s walls and public buildings. These murals helped to redevelop some corners of the city of Forlì and make it an increasingly popular destination for urban art lovers.
The first edition of the festival was dedicated to the Constitution of the Italian Republic, while the second edition had the Renaissance as its theme, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Aurelio Saffi’s birth.
The street art in the heart of Forlì celebrating the Italian Constitution
Walking through the streets of the historic center, the variety and colours of the murals immediately pleased me. Every corner hides a different work of art, telling the story and culture of Forlì.
In fact, there are murals dedicated to famous people in the city, such as the poet and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, and murals representing historical events that marked the city, such as the Resistance.
My itinerary among Forlì’s street artworks starts right from Parco della Resistenza, where Camilla Falsini‘s brightly coloured murals, created in 2018, recount the Italian Constitution‘s principles of freedom, equality, and participation.
Moreover, after admiring the murals of the green area in the heart of Forlì, my tour continues through Corso della Repubblica to the wide Piazza Saffi.
Moreover, having passed the beautiful Basilica of San Mercuriale, I continue to walk to Via dei Filergiti and then to Piazza del Carmine. In this large car park, Millo‘s work, dedicated to Article 3 of the Italian Constitution, stands out. ‘All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law…’. Equality is the theme of this large mural, representing gender equality, guaranteed by culture, with a play on whites, greys and bright colours.
A few steps away, in via Francesco Nullo, I find the mural by Zed1, whose fairy-tale drawings depict the theme of work, inspired by Article 1 of the Italian Constitution. Even a simple worker can achieve great nobility through his work.
From Piazza Saffi to Via Maceri, street art dedicated to the Reinassance
Then, when I was returning to Piazza Saffi, in Via dei Filergiti, the artistic work of Sema Lao surprised me, representing Aurelio Saffi and his wife Giorgina, two symbols of the city of Forlì.
Then, I continue along Via Maceri to admire Andrea Ravo Mattoni‘s mural, which reinterprets a famous work by Forlì painter Annibale Gatti. The female figure in the centre of the mural represents Italy and national unity, leaning on a large book, representing culture.
A few steps further on, Basik‘s mural catches the eye with its colours in shades of blue, black, and pink. The face of the girl depicted on the large wall is covered to protect herself from the excessive exposure we are subjected to with social media.
If Andy Warhol said that we are all entitled to 15 minutes of popularity, the street artist points out in his work that today with social media everything has exploded and the real challenge is to protect oneself from this overexposure, to protect one’s image.
The murals that tell the story of the Ex Fabbrica Battistini
It used to be a shoe factory. Today the walls of the building, located in Via Fossato Vecchio, a few steps from the centre, have been reborn through street art. Walking through the workers’ square, I admire the works of the project ‘Tales of the Human on the Walls of Forlì‘, financed thanks to a crowdfunding campaign.
Moreover, you will notice that the protagonists of the murals are shoes, but also expressive faces of women and children, created by artist Marcello Di Camillo.
Here, the gaze stops on images that seem to tell the stories that have passed through these places, teleporting us beyond the concrete walls, into the houses, and into the factory, among the thoughts that have inhabited it over time.
At this point you will see a dog running away, and a child amazed by seagulls taking flight… nature, which he thought he could control, is instead free and unpredictable. You can read more about the artist’s explanation here.
To conclude, walking through the streets of Forlì, the street artworks surprise and excite, as in an open-air museum. In addition to discovering a city rich in history, culture, and beauty, one appreciates the creativity and talent of the artists who have breathed new life into the city walls with their works of art.
