In this Promenade, we will be accompanied by…

Andrea Gardenghi, multi-talented guide and tour leader, with a special inclination towards sports and sustainable tourism.  Born in Bologna, he recounts the history of the city with interest and involvement.

What are the origins of the Bolognese Street Art?

Bologna stands out undoubtedly as one of the European capitals of writing and street art. At the cutting edge since the 80s thanks to the innovative and visionary concept of Arte di Frontiera, the city’s artistic stage offers many talented and forward-thinking writers, alongside other artists specialised in wall painting, with a view to the requalification and re-appropriation of common spaces in the suburbs.  

Where should we start from?

Given the increasing biker-friendly character of our city, let’s begin our journey from Largo Caduti del Lavoro, decorated by the works of Lokiss & Rae Martini, and let’s head towards Piazza Azzarita and the Poster Art by Levalet, eventually stopping in Via Calari 2a and  4a in front of the painted mice by Ericailcane e the female figures by Bastardilla. The never-sleeping university district, always in motion, has been constantly embellished by the works of the naturalized citizen Luis Gutierrez since 1988 in Via Zamboni 38.

It is worth pointing out how Aerosol Art, in a quite peculiar way, has moved to Palazzo Pepoli, inside the Museum of the city’s history in via Castiglione 8, well represented by a permanent work by the Bolognese Dado e Rusty, whose visit does not require any ticket. 

And what about the suburbs? It doesn’t take long by bike…

Just outside the city centre, the itinerary gets more and more stimulating. Leaving from Viale Masini, right next to the coach station in Piazza XX Settembre 6, you can admire the work by 108, and, after crossing the Stalingrado Bridge, filled with graffiti, you should definitely stop in Via Zago, Bologna’s famous Hall of Fame.

Within easy reach, we immediately recognize the style of the French artist Honet, at number 18, with his usual vivacious hues, as well as the nearby works by Etnik, at number 3, and Dado, at number 1.  Heading towards Piazza Spadolini 3, you will be welcomed by the crown jewel of the city’s street art, a work by the recently deceased New York international pioneer Phase 2. 

Let’s hit the road towards the Bolognina district, stopping off in Via Angelo Michele Colonna, where we behold a masterpiece by Eron, considered as one of the most eminent proponents of Italian Street Art thanks to his unique and authentic touch, which earned him several international awards.  Just a few metres away we can wonder at the colours and the detailed hand of the Dutch artist Does, whilst the walls of the new seat of the city’s Municipality in Via Fioravanti 10 host the work “Corner to Corner” by the German writer DAIM, renowned worldwide for his characteristic 3d style. 

The final stage of this itinerary leads us towards the Porto District in Via Pier de Crescenzi 24 and 30, where the style of the artistic collaboration of the famous couple Cuoghi Corsello is still conveyed through apparently simplistic yet impacting figures. Just beside this last work, we cannot but mention the decorative large-scale wall painting by Hitnes, and, within short reach, in Via dello Scalo 32, a work by Andreco, famous for his strong interest in the planet’s environmental issues.

An unmissable stop is the Interporto di Bologna, in Bentivoglio (BO), where Italy's largest urban artwork was recently unveiled to the public. It's curated by Joys and commissioned by Prologis.

Called "Vibrant Panorama", it was created on the façade of a logistics building and occupies 2.000 square metres, the equivalent of five basketball courts.

Joys' mural, together with three other large works by the artists Moneyless, Etnik and Zed1, forms the nucleus of what may in future become a true open-air Urban Aart Museum, available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

What else?

Moving out of the city along the cycle route you’ll soon reach the tiny town of Dozza, eternalised by the Biennale del Muro Dipinto, a biennial festival which regularly turns  Dozza into an authentic open air gallery of wall paintings. 

Worth mentioning is furthermore the incredible work of Rusty and Joyce on the immense cylindrical mushroom of the over 40 metres tall water tower in Sant’Agata Bolognese (via Circondaria Ovest 3A), whose shape reminds of a poppy. With an overall area of 800 square metres, the artist’s work was conceived on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nilla Pizzi, a celebrated Italian songwriter.