Famous for its cultural heritage and racetrack, Imola also has an unexpected abundance of street art dotted all over town.
Starting with the urban RestArt festival, several urban redevelopment projects have been completed over the last 10 years, making modern street art a colourful complement to today’s city landscape.
In just a short time the city has become an open-air gallery with works by Italian and international artists, offering fascinating insights into contemporary creativity.
The best way to see them is up close and by bicycle: just about everything on the itinerary can be seen by pedalling along Imola’s hallmark network of cycle paths.
The underpass at Imola Railway Station is nothing less than a true gallery, packed with street art created during the ‘RestArt’ Festival.
This includes depictions of local landmarks such as the Rocca Sforzesca (fortress), the Racetrack and the face of Leonardo Da Vinci, author of the renowned map of Imola.
Also included is a nod to the saying ‘Imola is the city of madmen’ (a reference to the large asylum for psychiatric patients that once existed): a grinning magician (or perhaps fire-eater) welcomes visitors to the ‘city of fools’.
The façade of the Checco Costa Museum (Enzo and Dino Ferrari Racetrack) is emblazoned with a huge eye-catching reminder of the great Ayrton Senna, portrayed in the characteristically colourful style of Eduardo Kobra, an internationally renowned Brazilian street artist who created this mural in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of Senna's death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.
In Imola, street art isn’t just painted on the walls. For example, the 2020 Restart Urban Festival saw recycling-focused street artist Artur Bordalo invited to take part.
His enormous koala bear stands (6 meters tall!) in the outdoor area adjacent to the Cassiano da Imola/Alberghetti schools and the Cavina gym. Its bright colours can be seen from Via Boccaccio.
The electrical substations dotted around Imola have a unique look thanks to the T.A.G. (Torre Arte Graffiti) project.
This has involved many of the town’s brick-built medium voltage substations, most notably those next to the cycle path that runs alongside the River Santerno.
A short bike ride will take in, to name just a few: the animals on the substation near the Sante Zennaro complex, a tribute to the ‘Imola Giraffe’ (a circus escapee from a few years ago!) in the car park on Via Pirandello and the hilarious ‘racing driver’ at the entrance to the Viale Dante Bridge. But you’ll see plenty of others!
