In the heart of the Riviera dei Cedri, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, Diamante stands, a Calabrian town that has become famous not only for its splendid sea rewarded with the blue flag, but also for its artistic vocation. Since the 1980s, the walls of the houses in the historic center have become urban canvases, transforming the village into an authentic open -air museum full of murals.
The mural operation: art against depopulation
It all began in 1981, when the Milanese painter Nani Razetti, who fell in love with diamond, proposed to the mayor of the time Evasio Pascale a visionary idea: to invite dozens of artists from all over the world to restore life to the historic center through wall art. Thus was born the mural operation, with over 80 painters who decorated the facades of the village with works that tell stories, traditions and dreams.
Since then, the initiative has never stopped and is renewed from year to year. Every year new artists, Italian and international, contribute to enriching the urban heritage, thanks also to the OSA Street art initiative and while the oldest works are restored, Diamante celebrates the perfect union between conservation of the past and contemporary creativity. To date, there are hundreds of murals that embellish the diamond streets, each with a unique style and voice.
Murals that speak to the heart: the theme of migrants in the center
Among the many works that color the streets of Diamante, some murals deal with current and deeply touching themes, such as that of the landings of migrants. These works represent faces, tense hands, boats, eyes full of hope and fear. They are images that do not decome only, but invite those who go on to stop, to reflect on the journey, on welcome, on the human condition. In a village where art was created to counter the depopulation, these murals tell the other side of the human movement: that of those who flee, dream, seek a future. A form of street art that becomes a collective memory and civil testimony.
A living museum between alleys, chili pepper and crochet
To make the atmosphere even more picturesque, in many streets it is possible to admire crochet centrins hanging between the balconies: a spontaneous and poetic installation that combines art and popular tradition. The village is also known for the famous pepper festival, an annual appointment that attracts thousands of visitors in September and consecrates the city also as the capital of the spicy. Diamante is not only a place to visit, but to be lived with his eyes and his heart wide open.
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