Stories, fairy tales, and traditions told on the walls, unique paintings that turn the quaint villages into true open-air museums. Away from the beaten paths, there's a dense network of hidden gems with stories depicted on the facades of homes, along staircases, and in alleyways. From north to south, there are many villages featuring murals, using street art to narrate their stories or to revitalize their communities. Visiting them is not just a journey through colorful places but a discovery, through artist-made paintings, of what a small community has to share. Here are the villages with murals you absolutely must visit in Italy.
16 Villages with the Most Beautiful Murals in Italy
Dozza Orgosolo Aielli Diamante Stigliano Usseaux Civitacampomarano Braccano Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce Vernante Valloria Arcumeggia Valogno Rocca di Papa Cibiana di Cadore Grottaglie
Murals Villages
Dozza
In Dozza, in Emilia Romagna, the murals become urban furniture and the paintings color the walls of the houses, streets, and squares. Walking through the narrow streets of the medieval village, stunning views of the murals adorning this quaint town will unfold before you. There are over 100 throughout the village; if you need a helpful guide to ensure you don't miss any, download the Painted Wall app.
The story of Orgosolo is told on the walls of this true open-air museum. The alleys, squares, and buildings of Orgosolo are adorned with hundreds of murals depicting rural life, historical events from the village such as the Pratobello revolution when local shepherds opposed national authorities regarding the construction of a military base on their lands, as well as stories of social injustices, human rights, and peace and social messages. Located about 20 kilometers from Nuoro, Orgosolo should not be missed on your list of places to see in Barbagia.
Aielli
Aielli, in the province of L'Aquila, is a small medieval jewel perched on a rocky spur, revived by street art. Each year, it hosts Borgo Universo, a street art, music, performances, and astronomy festival that uses the language of art to enhance the views, landscapes, and history of Aielli's medieval village. Over the years, numerous murals have been created by famous international street artists.
Diamante
In Calabria, along the Cedar Riviera, Diamante is the city of murals that deserves a stop. There are over 200 paintings throughout the historic center, creating an open-air gallery to admire the most beautiful works. Since 1981, the town has become a massive canvas for street artists from around the world. It all started when painter Nani Razzetti proposed to the mayor at the time a project to revitalize the historic center. Thus began the Murals Operation, which brought eighty-three painters to Diamante who started painting the walls of the town center.
Stigliano
In the heart of Basilicata, in the province of Matera, Stigliano is a village revitalized by Street Art. To counteract the depopulation of the village, an international Public Art festival, appARTEngo, was created to bring art into the streets and alleys of the town. Stigliano thus becomes an outdoor art gallery, with works becoming part of the social and urban fabric. The idea for the Festival was conceived in 2015 by a group of young residents who imagined a creative art experience roaming the streets of their town.
Usseaux
In the Alta Val Chisone, at an altitude of 1,416 meters, Usseaux is a small mountain village within the Orsiera Rocciavrè Natural Park (province of Turin). As you stroll through its cobbled streets, you can admire 40 murals that depict the village's farming life, nature, inhabitants, and fairy tale characters.
Civitacampomarano
Civitacampomarano is a small village with just over 400 residents in the province of Campobasso, Molise, which has regained life and color thanks to the works of Alice Pasquini. The artist, to remember what was once there, and is now no longer, painted on old doors of houses that are now almost all uninhabited.
Braccano
Nestled in a stunning landscape on the western slope of Monte San Vicino, Braccano is a small village where just over 150 people reside. The town, a fraction of Matelica, is worth a stop to admire the murals that adorn the historic center; they were created by students from the Accademia di Brera and Macerata, with the participation of artists from all over the world.
Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce
Not far from Rome, Sant'Angelo di Roccalvecce is undoubtedly the land of fairy tales. In this village in the province of Viterbo, the characters from fairy tales are depicted on the walls. The idea originated in 2016 from Gianluca Chiovelli, who founded the cultural association ACAS to revive the village, transforming it into the village of fairy tales painted on the walls. Numerous street artists have painted the most beautiful fairy tales on the facades of the town.
Vernante
Vernante, a small town in Alta Val Vermenagna in Piedmont, is the village dedicated to Pinocchio and its most famous illustrator. This is why, as you walk through the streets of the town, you can relive the main events of the puppet's story. Attilio Mussino, the famous illustrator of Pinocchio, spent the last years of his life in Vernante. The walls of his house are now decorated with reproductions of the famous illustrations from Collodi's 1911 Pinocchio, and other buildings, houses in the historic center, and streets have been painted with over a hundred colorful vignettes from the book.
Photo: © Pro Loco Vernante
Valloria
In Liguria, there is a village famous for its painted doors. It is called Valloria, a small medieval town with stone houses and narrow alleys where you will find hand-painted doors by internationally renowned artists. Thanks to the event "In Valloria, Have Fun," every year three more or less known painters create live works on three new doors of the village.
Arcumeggia
In the province of Varese, Arcumeggia is the first painted village in Italy, the first open-air gallery established in 1956. The 168 paintings you can find around the village have been created over the years by internationally renowned artists. In the 1950s, the Provincial Tourism Authority of Varese identified the village of Arcumeggia as the starting point for the tourism revival of the area, thus giving birth to the first painted village in Italy.
Valogno
In the province of Caserta, almost at the border with Lazio, Valogno is a small village, a fraction of Sessa Aurunca, where just over ninety people live. Like many small towns, the fate of this village seemed sealed, preparing to become one of Italy's ghost towns, until art saved it. Today, it has transformed into a small jewel reborn through street art, thanks to Giovanni Casale and his wife, Dora Mesolella, who revitalized the village through art, gathering numerous street artists to bring color to Valogno. For about 10 years, the initiative "The Colors of Gray" has turned the streets and walls of Valogno into a large canvas.
Rocca di Papa
The small village near Rome is a true open-air museum. Thanks to local painter Miro Fondi, who began filling the historic center with murals in the 1980s. Masters of art, friends of painter Miro, and art lovers have contributed to the revival and growth of the village by creating works throughout the town. As you walk through the alleys of the historic center, you will find dozens of murals.
Cibiana di Cadore
Cibiana di Cadore, in the province of Belluno, tells its story on the walls. Throughout the village, you will find about fifty murals that celebrate the ancient trades of the village, traditions, and its history.
Grottaglie
On the walls of the historic center of Grottaglie, in the province of Taranto, you can take a journey through some of the most beautiful cartoons. On the walls of the town, artist Paolo Carriere has created incredible murals featuring famous characters from 80s cartoons (and more).