Street Art in Salerno - a city devoted to poetry.

By Italians on the move - 09:37

What a start, this 2016. One of my main resolution for the new year was travelling more by myself and so far I've been pretty diligent.

On new year's eve I've been visiting my best friend who lives in one of the most beautiful spot in Italy: right in front of the seaside promenade (lungomare) of Salerno, the province including the Amalfi coast.

I've always loved coming here, in this little gem in the the heart of Campania. I love Salerno's contrast of modern, clean spaces and old narrow alleys where you can feel almost submerged in the past, as if time had stopped in a 1950s neorealistic movie.

The city is so ancient, rich and at the same time so poor and genuine, so lively and full of people, music, voices and good smells of baked and fried goods and during the holidays this explosion of life was even amplified, so much I almost felt dizzy.
Everything is a remix here, from architecture to cocktails, stirred with some hiphop and great consciousness.

As we strolled through the beautifully-lighted streets of the center, we encountered some poetic quotes written on walls, all pointing to one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city: le Fornelle, whose building goes back to the IX century. This used to be inhabited by sailors, harbour workers and their families and through the years has always remained a working-class area but since the last November, it became more than just this.

Entering this neighborhood through bottlenecks and small galleries, we had the general feeling to be more than lighted, enlightened.

The Alfonso Gatto Foundation, is the Cultural Association involved in the diffuson of Alfonso Gatto's poetical works and in the reclamation of abandoned or neglected urban areas through art, musical and cultural events, accountable for the Street Art jam that brought to life these amazing masterpieces.

The walls of le Fornelle, painted by young street artists from Salerno, coordinated by Pino Roscigno (Greenpino) and Valeriano Forte really gave a new light to a once dusty and almost ruined neighborhood, now destination of tourists and art lovers.

Time to leave this open air museum and go back to enjoy the celebrations with Campari and amazing food and every street and every corner of the city, where everything is art.