How An Italian Village Is Saving Itself Through Street Art
The small medieval town of Civitacampomarano, in the heart of the Campobasso countryside in Italy’s Molise region, has found a way to attract both Italians and tourists. Plagued with the same issues as other towns in the region (declining birth rates coupled with a mass exodus to the urban cities), the village came up with a creative way to entice people to come back. Behind the backdrop of a picturesque town, with views of mountains, hilltops and the seaside, once a year, street artists are given free range on their ‘canvases’: the walls, alleys, arches or doorways of the village.
Opening its doors to well known Italian and international street artists, despite a three-hour drive southeast of Rome, the community has wholly accepted the challenge from the 300 remaining residents.
The idea of the street art festival came from Ylenia Carelli, president of Civitacampomarano’s cultural organization. In 2014, after watching a news clip interviewing an artist, Carelli decided to send her an email inviting renowned artist Alice Pasquini to come paint in the village. In New York at the time, Pasquini read the email. “It said, ‘I have a dream, I know you will never answer, I saw you on TV, I would love you to paint a wall here.'” As her grandfather was the village doctor, and Pasquini spent many summers visiting him, she agreed to the proposition.
Now, 9 years on, thousands of visitors flock each summer to see the open-air museum. Along the crumbly stone structures, windy roads, and overgrown vegetation are vibrant murals, ranging in theme and topic. Anything goes.
While “before street art came here, it was just one of thousands of semi-empty towns throughout Italy,” now, as Carelli described, “art has been the determining factor in revitalizing this town.” The event has brought public attention to the village and has helped support its financial troubles.
This past month the village celebrated its eighth edition of its artistic festival, known as the CVTàs, in June. Its headliners were British artist Helen Bur, South African artist Ellena Lourens, American artist Dan Witz and Pakistani-German artist Jasmin Siddiqui.
Featured Image Via CBC News