Forlì's Murals

On Via Minardi and Viale Roma, near the Municipal Stadium, murals by Alejandro Rodriguez (known as Nestor) and Christian Olivares Thomsen depict the 1973 overthrow of Chile’s democratic government.

To know

• The murals were created in 1976 by the two Chilean exiles in collaboration with students from various high schools in the city;
• They were restored between 2017 and 2018 thanks to the efforts of local organizations, students, and the entire Forlì community.

The second stop on our tour of Forlì’s public art continues with a short walk in search of the murals created for the 2018 edition of the Murali Street Art Festival, inspired by the 70th anniversary of the Italian Constitution:

• On the walls of the Paul Harris Library, inside the Parco della Resistenza , Camilla Falsini ’s murals depict three of the city’s main monuments in the form of “monumonsters”: the Rocca di Ravaldino on a yellow background, the Basilica of San Mercuriale on a red background, and the San Domenico Museum complex on a light blue background.
• In Piazza del Carmine, Millo’s mural is dedicated to Article 3 of the Italian Constitution: “All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law…”. Equality is the theme of this large mural, which depicts gender equality—guaranteed by culture—through a striking interplay of whites, grays, and bright colors.
• On Via Francesco Nullo, Zed1’s mural depicts the theme of work (Article 1 of the Constitution) in an almost fairy-tale-like style.

Near the San Domenico Civic Museum, visitors can admire the following works on the facades of public and private buildings:

• Gomez’s mural titled “Melody of Dream and Reality,”on Via Andrelini, depicts a weary woman with her eyes closed playing the strings of a harp, the undisputed symbol of all the arts;
• the mural by Gola Hundun in Vicolo Oreste Casaglia (at the corner of Via Andrelini) pays homage to the preservation of the local landscape; the artist chose to depict the colors and atmosphere of the “Zerbale,” a pool formed by the Bidente River in summer at the corner of Via Andrelini and Vicolo Oreste Casaglia;
• Eron ’s work in Vicolo San Domenico.

Curiosity

In the first half of the 20th century, the archway on Via San Domenico marked the entrance to Forlì’s Jewish quarter, located between Corso Diaz and Via Caterina Sforza. Against the backdrop of everyday life and the realism of laundry hanging out to dry, the uniform of a deportee stands out.

The walking tour exploring Forlì’s mural art concludes with the works created for the “Street Art Murali – 2019” event.

In 2019, the bicentennial of the birth of Aurelio Saffi—a prominent figure of the Italian Risorgimento and a native of Forlì—provided an opportunity to recount the artistic, musical, social, and technological changes of that era, and once again, internationally renowned artists gathered in Forlì
to give shape to these memories.

The area featuring the artistic installations is the corner of Piazza Saffi, where the Abbey of San Mercuriale is located.

In order, they are:

• on Via dei Filergiti, a mural by Sema Lao depicting Aurelio and Giorgina Saffi, two true symbols of the city of Forlì. The artist has portrayed them on the same plane to emphasize the relationship of deep collaboration and equality that united them.
• On Via Maceri, murals by Andrea Ravo Mattoni and Basik dedicated to the Forlì artist Annibale Gatti and to technological progress.
• On Via Francesco Nullo, at the corner of Via Fratti, is Hyuro’s work: a true tribute to photography.

Leaving the historic center, you’ll come across the magnificent mural adorning the Rotonda di Santa Chiara: the largest and most complex mural, along with those from the 1970s, in which—in collaboration with the Romagna in Fiore Association—he depicts the fascinating history of trains and railroads.