Street art in Reggio Emilia

Introduction

Reggio Emilia is a city undergoing constant transformation, where street art has become one of the most powerful tools for urban regeneration and for telling the story of the local area. From the outlying neighbourhoods to disused industrial sites, the city’s walls have been transformed into a veritable open-air art gallery.
This itinerary takes you on a journey to discover the main works of street art in the city and the surrounding area: monumental murals, participatory projects and artistic interventions that engage with memory, the community and the urban landscape.

Information

The route runs through the city centre, suburban areas, and nearby surroundings, and can be easily explored by car or by bicycle, depending on the stops.

An open-air museum

When walking around Reggio Emilia, it is easy to come across street art, particularly in the outlying neighbourhoods and former industrial areas.
Regeneration, enhancement and reappropriation are the principles guiding these projects: street art thus becomes a tool for transforming the urban landscape, restoring identity and meaning to places that are often forgotten.

1. The biggest street art hub

Ex Officine Meccaniche Reggiane – Reggiane Parco Innovazione

Just a few minutes from the historic centre lies the Reggiane Parco Innovazione, built on the site of the historic Officine Meccaniche Reggiane, once one of Italy’s most important factories of the 20th century.
Today, the area is regarded as Europe’s largest street art laboratory: monumental murals, widespread installations and site-specific works transform warehouses and industrial spaces into a vast collective artistic project.

2. Cadavre exquis

Magazzino delle Farmacie Comunali

The mural inspired by Yuval Avital, created by , Simone Ferrarini, forms part of the “Il Bestiario della Terra” project.
A powerful and visionary work that explores the boundary between human and animal, between identity and transformation, inviting the viewer to reflect on the very nature of existence.

3. Epopteia!

Sala Civica della Polveriera

A large-scale wall drawing by Hu-Be transforms the Sala Civica into a narrative and participatory space. The work was inspired by conversations with local residents and captures emotions, stories and vulnerabilities in an intense and poetic visual composition.

4. Gli eroi granata

Stadio Mirabello

A mural celebrates the history of Reggiana Calcio and its key figures. It pays tribute to the city’s passion for sport and to its fans, who have made the Mirabello Stadium a symbolic place in the collective memory.

5. A lively library

Biblioteca Panizzi

The Biblioteca Panizzi is home to two significant contemporary works.
“Parole Parole Parole” by Elena Mazzi explores the theme of gender-based violence through an engaging and symbolic visual language.
On the vaulted ceiling of the reading room, Sol LeWitt’s famous “Whirls and Twirls 1” envelops the space with shapes and colours, transforming the library into an immersive experience that blends art and knowledge.

6. The Black Mamba

PalaBigi

The new Palazzetto dello sport PalaBigi is home to a series of murals dedicated to the world of sport and the legacy of Kobe Bryant. The project combines energy, movement and remembrance, transforming the sports venue into a contemporary art space.

7. E som dal Gatto

Centro sociale Gattaglio

A collaborative project that tells the story of the neighbourhood and its community. Giulio Vesprini’s mural is the result of dialogue with local residents and transforms the community centre into a symbol of identity, inclusion and shared life.

8. Come se piovesse

Biblioteca San Pellegrino – Marco Gerra

A mural celebrating the value of culture as an essential source of nourishment. Books, symbolic animals and surreal scenes illustrate the contrast between knowledge and ignorance, transforming the library into a space for visual reflection.

9. Nelson Mandela

Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa School and Rugby Field

Two art installations dedicated to Nelson Mandela and the values of freedom, equality and peace. The works engage with the local area and the city’s international history, which has long been characterised by a commitment to civil rights.

10. Reggio loves you

Parco Il Noce

A mural dedicated to Kobe Bryant, celebrating the connection between the champion and Reggio Emilia. A work that brings together sport, memory, and urban identity.”

11. Un murale per Camél!

Parco delle Caprette

A tribute to Camél, a figure much loved by the park’s visitors. The mural illustrates daily life at Parco delle Caprette and its role as a community space that brings people of all ages together.

12. La strage della Bettola

Casa Bettola

Two murals recount the history of the Resistance and the tragic events of the Second World War. Art and remembrance come together in a symbolic place of participation and testimony.

13. Curiosa Meravigliosa

Palazzo dei Musei

A large-scale collective photographic mosaic created by Joan Fontcuberta with the participation of local residents. A monumental work that transforms the museum’s facade into a shared visual narrative.

14. Il primo murale italiano

Vicolo Venezia

A historic and mysterious inscription that is part of the city’s collective memory. An urban fragment that reveals the most authentic and hidden side of Reggio Emilia.

15. Giano bifronte

Via Candelù

A commemorative mural dedicated to the memory of the massacres of 1980 and the theme of justice. A work that invites reflection on the relationship between truth and power.

16. Partigiano reggiano

Casa Manfredi

A large mural celebrating the Resistance and the anti-fascist legacy. The artwork transforms the former partisan house into a visible and widely recognised urban symbol.

Street art in the province

The province is also home to some notable street art projects:

• Correggio – works dedicated to the Resistance in the Park of Remembrance

• Novellara – mural dedicated to Augusto Daolio

• Cavriago – Sofàr Festival interventions

• Appennino Reggiano (Trinità e dintorni) – Street Art Festival, with dozens of artworks dotted around rural villages

A widespread heritage that transforms the entire province into an open-air artistic laboratory.”