Graffiti on Via di Mezzo

Elzabelle

Member
Hi,

The apartment I was supposed to stay in when I arrive next week got changed . I am now in an apartment on Via di Mezzo two blocks off of Borgo Pinti.

On the street view of Google maps there is graffiti on the walls in this block. In larger cities in the US that is a sign of a bad neighborhood. Does anyone know this area or if graffiti has the same connotations in Florence as it does in Chicago?

Thanks.
Elzabelle
 
Via di Mezzo is very central in the center, while it is isn't full of shops and boutiques, there are still shops and restaurants nearby so you'll be in a great location from all of the attractions.

As far as street view goes - I've found most views are outdated for Florence, from several years ago.
So even shops have changed... having said that, be prepared for more graffiti that you've imagined when you arrive in Italy and it does not signal bad neighborhoods, it is everywhere.

When I first arrived, I noticed it a lot.... on trains to sides of buildings to garbage bins. In Florence for the last year or so, artistic graffiti has started popping up.... from little black men flying away on red balloons, to climbing stairs, to monsters with funny faces to famous works of art showing up "underwater". Many streets signs have stickers on them to decorate them, making the sign a work of art. So what I would recommend is to actually LOOK FOR this street graffiti as it is today's modern art!
In a city like Florence (and Italy for that matter), where everyone comes to look at art from centuries ago, modern artists try to catch your attention in different ways ;).

Did you know "graffiti" is an Italian word that means "etchings on the walls"? like the ones the cavemen used to do inside their dwellings ;)
 
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