[Photo: ©Vickey Maverick]

Bologna Doesn’t Need a Paint Brush

Many artists have already dabbed color onto canvas across the city. Let’s check out a few of them.

Among the handful of countries that can be awarded the status of a traveler’s paradise is Italy. Other than the regular tourist hotspots, of which there are many, there is also a lot more to explore. Irrespective of the cities, provinces, and zones they find themselves in, travelers are bound to experience a labyrinth of art, cuisine, culture, and history in the peninsula.

Bologna is no different. The historic capital of the country’s Emilia-Romagna region, the city represents an interesting juxtaposition of art and architecture on the one hand, highlighted by the iconic Asinelli and the Garisenda, collectively referred to as Due Torri (The Two Towers), and cuisine on the other.

Not to forget, it is arguably one of the few cities with multiple nicknames. For starters, one of Bologna’s many nicknames is la dotta (the erudite). The reason is pretty simple; the city is home to the oldest university in Europe. Likewise, food is one of the integral aspects that defines the city and possibly explains the nickname la grassa (the fat).

[Photo: ©Vickey Maverick]

There is absolutely no doubt that the eclectic cuisine on offer in the many trattorias (small Italian restaurants) can make you fat, unless you find ways to stay fit, of course. Bologna is also referred to as la rossa (the red), palpably for the color of its buildings. Besides architecture and cuisine, there is one more thing conspicuous in the city.

Bologna is covered in graffiti, murals, and street art. While some of them are visually appealing, a majority of them lack aesthetics and appear to be a manifestation of someone’s frustrations and stick out like a sore thumb. Like most other major cities in Italy, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region has witnessed an influx of uninvited guests from across the Mediterranean and elsewhere.

When graffiti and scribbles are witnessed anywhere in a city, most of them are definitely not the work of an eminent street artist. On the contrary, someone expectedly oblivious to Bologna’s historical aspect has decided to showcase their artistic brilliance on these walls. Most of these don’t merit a photograph, but there is one at the end, if you please.

[Photo: ©Vickey Maverick]

While it is impossible to showcase all the impressive murals and street art that Bologna has to offer at one go, the other three photographs in this narrative are some of the interesting ones that I could cull out from my existing folders. There are definitely more, and I may come up with a sequel if this one is well-received.

Coming back to this photo narrative in particular, I found the murals shown in the first two photographs to be impressive. In fact, they constitute a single elaborate mural. As a single photograph would not have done complete justice, I opted to break them up into two separate photographs.

Inaugurated as recently as September 2018, the mural depicts workers in a style that blends Soviet aesthetics and contemporary street art. Conceptualized by local artists Alessandro “Dado” Ferri and Elvis Mambo Pregnolato, this gigantic artwork can be spotted at the headquarters of the CISL Emilia Romagna on Via Milazzo (a street).

The CISL stands for Confederazione Italiana Sindacati dei Lavoratori, or the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions, and the mural in red and green is reminiscent of the union’s logo. It depicts men and women with helmets and symbolizes the theme of work.

[Photo: ©Vickey Maverick]

The last photograph, as mentioned previously, is a deliberate addition. It highlights the graffiti (one among many) that, more or less, appear as a stain in an otherwise beautiful city. While similar ghastly painted stuff can be found all over Italy, the number is fairly high in Bologna. Worse still, neither the authorities nor the locals seem to care.

That being said, I am most impressed by the murals and street art that retain the aesthetic elements while also being visually appealing. I have come across many such in Europe in general and Italy in particular. There is definitely more surprise in store for the future.