Takin' it to the streets!

So yet another thing that I was not at all prepared for was the ridiculous amount of street art and graffiti all over Bologna. Some boldly on the main roads, some delicately inked on a busy corner where you might miss it, and some in the tiny alleys where you'll only find it if you're on a street art treasure hunt. 

Classic Bologna juxtaposition.

Oh yeah, a bit of background: the city of Bologna is a center of learning, a university town, and a real life hotbed of Communism. We saw an actual full-on block-the-streets Communist protest while we were there. Not gonna lie, it was pretty adorable. But yeah, the politics show up in the art, like ya do.

This bunny was all over everywhere: the Where's Waldo? of Bologna, if you will.

There he is again!

I still can't get over how many styles and influences are represented. 

Right?

Just when you thought you had a handle on the style? Nope!

Still Mike, with Owl-o-rama.

Pretty birds

I mean, come on. 

Then there is the roll-up and security door art. I get that it's not unique to Bologna, but its super concentrated, and when shops are open you can't even see it, so most of it is hidden for most of the day. So if you walk around in the early morning, for example, you get a wildly-colorful alternate-universe Bologna. Check it out:

This is in front of a bar called Sherlock Holmes. Obvi.

Political roll-up door art, anyone?

Really though. This stuff blows my mind. Like, I want posters of 75% of these.

Right?

I mean, wtf, Bologna. Leave some cool for the rest of us.

But my all time amongst the covert-Bologna-art movement has to be this mural:

Yeah, it does not wish to fit in a frame. It is detailed and huge.

It's on an alley, very small, nothing on it to do, significantly obscured by trees, and flipping stunning. My lame iPhotography cannot do justice to it. Get thee to Bologna and check it out in person. Super cool.

I die. It has killed me. 

Oh, and a side note: Anandamayi and Aimée, have you been here yet? Some of this stuff begs to be referenced in a chalk art entry or summat. Just sayin'.

That be the art post, folks. Coming soon is Bologna wrap up, and adventures in Bristol!

And, on that note, an overdue postscript of sorts:

Some folks have mentioned that I can't possibly still be in Bologna. They are not wrong. I'm a little behind on the blogging, guys. But wait, you ask, isn't the whole point of blogging to enable folks to follow you in roughly real time? Yes, yes, right, I know, you're very smart. 

I'm on it, I swear. Back soon, y'all.