We’re back with another article set in urban Naples, AND the 2nd-ever showcase of Italian street art! The first took place in Sicily a few years ago, but Naples absolutely crushed Sicily in terms of street art.
Being in beautiful old cities—like those found in Italy—often means less murals. This is because these cities are dense, beautiful, and well-kept—so there’s no empty surfaces for street art. As such, I haven’t yet seen much street art in Northern Italy. However, Southern Italy—being the poorer half of the country—provides a bit more empty space for murals. And Napoli’s unique blend of rich culture and poor economics creates the perfect conditions for Italy the flex its artistic muscles in grittier and more contemporary ways.
I hate it when I hear Italy spoken about as if the only thing it has to offer is history. Make no mistake, the Italy of TODAY is an incredible place. The historical backdrop is cool, but it’s not why I keep coming back here. And as much as I love doing my features on street art, I would be lying if I told you that certain artistic sensibilities that I experience in the world of murals don’t eventually start to bleed together. Indeed, the vibrant and dynamic world of street art is not without some homogeneity.
But this is where Naples set itself apart. True to the the Neapolitan identity, the murals here mostly felt quite unique from what I have seen elsewhere. To me, many of these pieces had a more raw quality to them than I am used to seeing. Rather than pieces that all felt completely finished, many of them gave the impression of being something out of an artist’s sketchbook, not fully fleshed out or polished, but clearly infused with talent and formal training in the fine arts. Even the famous mural of Diego Maradona you’ll see on the cover is left intentionally and thought-provokingly sparse.
That was my take. But now it’s time for you to form your own opinions. Please enjoy this gallery of urban murals, pieced together from around Napoli. 🍕
There you have it. The murals of Naples. Or, as many of them as I could grab in the limited time I had there. I know there are more. There are a couple of very famous ones by the artist Jorit Agoch (credited below) that I missed because they are so far afield from the city center. But all things considered, I think this was a pretty good haul.
Of course, no street art showcase would be complete without an attempt to credit all of the amazing artists who brought these things into existence. I’ve done my best to track everybody down, but if I have missed anyone, please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know. I have updated articles years later to add the proper credits.
Maker Garcia Chavez (@makergarcia)
Quergia & Avolio
Yessica Garcia (@garciayesss)
L S D (@lsd_alisei)
Mario Filardi
Juan Pablo Gimenez (@jp_gimenez_dibujos)
TTATTA (@ttatta_urbanart)
Franco Martinez (@franco.martinez.arte)
Leone Peretti
Lino Raimondi (@linoraimondi)
Jorit Agoch (@jorit)
Naples really is the gift that keeps on giving. Up next we’re going to be here Naples yet again — but this time, we’re going to the religious and cultural heritage center known as Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
For now, I will leave you with one of my favorite tracks from the Gomorrah soundtrack. If you’re interested in Naples, watch that show.
