Hidden street-art in Salerno: the “Muri d’autore” initiative

Anyone lucky enough to visit Salerno knows how much this city has to offer. Currently known for its proximity to the most famous tourist destinations on the Amalfi Coast, Salerno deserves some time to be visited, between a trip out of town and another. I have talked about 5 good reasons to visit Salerno in another article. Among all that should not be missed once in Salerno, there are its secret sides, more hidden, and, therefore, more fascinating ones. For example, an untracked artistic path, which turns Salerno into an open-air museum: the street art of the murals. The “Muri d’autore” initiative, which I will tell you about in this article.

• What is the “Muri d’autore” street-art initiative?
• Jorit among the street artists in Salerno

However, before revealing to you what the “Muri d’autore” is, I want to say that art is not always in a museum for which to pay a high entrance ticket. Art can be found everywhere, hidden in a gesture, in perfume, in a poem. In Salerno, art is also found on the walls of the city, in the form of graffiti, which represent the city’s most hidden soul through poetry verses. Most of the poems are by the poet Alfonso Gatto. To this poet, born in Salerno, the cultural project “Muri d’autore” has been dedicated since 2014. Let’s see what it is.

What is the“Muri d’autore” street art initiative?

The initiative, called “Muri d’autore”, started as a tribute to the poet Alfonso Gatto. This initiative turned, over time, into an open-air museum that has the aim of redeveloping the most hidden and marginalized areas of Salerno. Graffiti, created by various international and national artists, represent the tool through which can be highlighted the less frequented areas of Salerno and, very often, forgotten ones.

Graffitis are located in different parts of the city and, in particular, in the Fornelle neighborhood. This is the neighborhood where Alfonso Gatto was born and is an area inhabited since ancient times by humble fishing families. Art, here, has become an instrument of integration. Its inhabitants welcomed the “Muri d’autore” initiative with open arms, making it possible for artists to paint the walls of their homes. It is for this reason that the artists dedicated a mural to the women of the neighborhood. This mural is visible on a towering facade of one of the tallest buildings.

Other places where you can find the murals are the “Vicolo della Neve “, the “Scalinata dei Mutilati” and an infinite number of alleys in the historic centre.

To be able to see them all you have to do a real treasure hunt! For this reason you can write me on Whatsapp to receive the interactive map on your smartphone!

Jorit among the street artists

Who does not know the faces portrayed by Jorit around the world? Since 2019, Salerno, too, can boast of a character represented by the Neapolitan artist: Trotula de’ Ruggiero. But not only that, because Jorit gave the city of Salerno another brand new mural to invoke world peace: “Peace”. Read on to find out more..

The Vinciprova parking lot is, therefore, a fundamental step in the artistic path of the “Muri d’autore”, where the woman’s face is depicted. Among other things, for the less passionate of art but more tied to the wallet, this is one of the cheapest places in Salerno where to park your car!

Trotula de Ruggiero, a female doctor of the Salerno Medical School, is one of the best-known characters in the history of Salerno. Almost a legendary figure, she is also present in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” with the name of “Lady Trot”! As you look in her eyes, you should be aware that you have, just in front of you, a piece of history of the city of Salerno. I hope you can fully experience the history of this city by immersing yourself in the search for art and the verses that tell something about Salerno’s most “hidden” and meaningful side.

"Peace" is another beautiful mural depicted by Jorit in Via Pietro d'Acerno, near the Liceo Linguistico Sabatini-Menna. The mural is a strong invocation for world peace by the artist. A dove, in fact, removes the letter "A" from the word "war" to complete the word "PEACE", with a huge eye in the background, alert to the reality that surrounds it.

As always I have created a special map to make the treasure hunt of the “Muri d’autore” more interactive and simple. To ask me for the map write to me on WhatsApp!