Street Art in Imola: Murals, the RestArt Festival and Where to Find Them

Imola is best known for its Formula One circuit, but over the past decade a parallel transformation has turned the city into one of Emilia-Romagna’s most unexpected street art destinations. The RestArt Urban Festival, organised by the Associazione Culturale NOIGIOVANI, has been bringing Italian and international artists to Imola since the mid-2010s, painting over forgotten walls, underpasses and electrical substations across the city’s neighbourhoods.

The result is a free, open-air gallery you can walk or cycle through in a couple of hours. Here is where to find the main works and what to know before visiting.

The Railway Station Underpass

Start at Imola’s railway station. The underpass beneath the tracks is packed with murals created during successive editions of the RestArt Festival. You will find depictions of the Rocca Sforzesca fortress, the Autodromo racetrack, a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci — who drew his famous map of Imola in 1502 — and a grinning magician figure, a nod to the old local saying that Imola è la città dei matti (“Imola is the city of madmen”), a reference to the psychiatric hospital that operated here for over a century.

Eduardo Kobra’s Ayrton Senna Mural

The most recognisable mural in Imola covers the facade of the Checco Costa Museum at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra painted this large-scale portrait of Ayrton Senna in 2019, marking the 25th anniversary of his death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. Kobra’s style — geometric blocks of saturated colour — makes it impossible to miss. The mural is visible from outside the circuit grounds.

Bordalo II’s Giant Koala

For the 2020 edition of RestArt, Portuguese artist Bordalo II — known for building animal sculptures from recycled plastic and scrap — installed a six-metre-tall koala in the outdoor area between the Cassiano da Imola and Alberghetti schools, near the Cavina gym. The sculpture is visible from Via Boccaccio. Bordalo’s work appears in cities worldwide, and the Imola koala is one of the few pieces in Emilia-Romagna.

The Lungofiume and T.A.G. Project

Along the banks of the River Santerno and the embankment (lungofiume), the T.A.G. (Torre Arte Graffiti) project has transformed electrical substations into painted landmarks. Look out for animals, the “Imola Giraffe” — a tribute to a real giraffe that once escaped from a visiting circus — and a racing driver at the entrance to the Viale Dante bridge.

Pontesanto: The Latest Neighbourhood

The 11th edition of RestArt (October 2024) moved into the Quartiere Pontesanto, transforming the railway underpasses on Via Zanotti and Via Farolfi. Each edition targets a different neighbourhood, which means the trail of murals keeps expanding across the city. Previous editions have covered the bus station area, school buildings and the streets around the circuit.

Dozza: A Detour Worth Making

If you are in Imola for the street art, Dozza is a 15-minute drive (or bus ride) away on the road toward Bologna. This medieval hilltop village hosts the Biennale del Muro Dipinto and has accumulated over 200 murals painted directly onto building facades over the past 50 years. It is one of Italy’s most concentrated street art villages and pairs well with an Imola visit.

Getting to Imola from Bologna

Direct trains from Bologna Centrale reach Imola in about 20 minutes and cost around €4. Trains run frequently throughout the day. From the station, the underpass murals are immediately accessible, and the circuit is roughly a 20-minute walk or short bus ride south. The best way to see all the murals across the city is by bike — Imola is flat and compact.

When to Visit

The murals are permanent and visible year-round. If you want to see artists at work, the RestArt Festival typically runs in October. Check the RestArt Urban Festival Facebook page for dates. Spring and early autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking the route — summers in Emilia-Romagna get hot.