Street art unites Narni and Port Talbot in Wales

The visual anthropologist analyzes murals as art, cultural practice, or storytelling tool, examining how they communicate messages by transforming public spaces. Narni in the province of Terni and Port Talbot in Wales don’t need a visual anthropologist; their message is simple, clear, and understandable to everyone!

Narni has 17,000 inhabitants, where they eat “Zuppa del Diavolo” (Devil’s Soup) and “Manfricoli” (a type of pasta), and has a coat of arms depicting a griffin. Its dialect’s main characteristics include the use of “u” for the masculine singular article, “a” for the feminine, and the masculine ending in “u” for many nouns (e.g., “u tavolinu”). It’s far from the sea, but has a number of underground hypogea. Football is a popular pastime.
Port Talbot has 35,000 inhabitants, where they eat “Cawl” (meat stew) and “Laverbread” (seaweed purée). English is spoken in Port Talbot, but mostly Welsh, which is difficult for us to even write (Hoffwn i goffi, os gwelwch yn dda, which means “I’d like a coffee, please”). It overlooks the eastern coast of Swansea Bay, and here the favorite sport is tackling anything taller than the grass—that is, rugby. Oh, I forgot: they are about 2,000 km apart and both towns have steelworks nearby, but what unites them and makes them similar are the murals dedicated to cinema.

Alberto Sordi. Foto di “Le vie del Cinema”

Murals

Murals are large-scale visual works of art painted or drawn on walls or other public surfaces. They can serve a variety of purposes, such as social commentary, decorating outdoor spaces, or documenting historical events or journeys. Murals are important because they communicate messages and values to the community, and their images can be used to inform urban regeneration projects, as has happened in Narni and Port Talbot.

Sophia Loren e Marcello Mastroianni. Foto di “Le vie del Cinema”

The street of cinema in Narni

The Municipality of Narni has promoted an innovative urban regeneration project through art, aiming to strengthen the identity of the Narni Scalo district. This is an attempt at urban and cultural redevelopment through Street Art circuits.
Narni has been the protagonist of the Narni, Le vie del Cinema event for over thirty years, but with the 2023 Rigenerarsi project, the idea was to create a tourist trail, an open-air museum featuring works that decorate the urban space—murals. Thus, the facades of several buildings feature the faces of some of the stars of Italian cinema. The first work depicts the couple Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, followed by Alberto Sordi, Monica Vitti, Anna Magnani, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Nino Manfredi, and many others. The artist behind the various murals is David Pompili, born in Spoleto in 1970. Over the years, David Pompili has carved out a distinguished place for himself in the Street and Pop Art scene, pursuing an artistic pursuit focused on the allegorical reinterpretation of images and themes emblematic of contemporary society. His style exudes a soul rooted in Pop Art and the world of Street Art, with the powerful use of vibrant colors. While maintaining his own distinctive style, he also effortlessly blends elements from various artistic movements. He himself defines the purpose of Rigenerarsi: “This was designed to create a strong impact between the local area, and therefore between the post-industrial nature of Narni Scalo, and the color, all the way to the artistic message we want to convey.” This is a project that has hit the mark, transforming a working-class city into a vibrant, attractive, and culturally vibrant one. Thus, Narni Scalo has become a hub for art and film lovers.

Pier Paolo Pasolini. Foto di “Le vie del Cinema”

Actor murals in Port Talbot

Port Talbot rose to fame in 2018 when renowned British artist and writer Banksy painted “Season’s Greetings,” a mural conceived and created to denounce the Welsh town’s pollution. After the mural was removed in 2023, purchased by a gallery owner, the local community responded with an explosion of street art, which had already begun some time earlier, sparking a true “urban art revolution.” Thanks to the ARTwalk, an initiative aimed at creating a tourist trail and attracting ever-increasing visitors, Port Talbot now boasts several murals dedicated to actors, giving rise to what is known as the Actor Murals. The most famous ones depict Anthony Hopkins, Michael Sheen, Richard Burton, and Peg Entwistle.

Anthony Hopkins is one of the city’s favorite sons, having been born in Margam, a suburb of Port Talbot. He is depicted as Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs; it is located on Somerset Street Lane and was created by the artist Walls by Paul. Another large mural is dedicated to Welsh actor Michael Sheen, born in Newport but raised in Port Talbot, known for playing Prime Minister Tony Blair in the film The Queen and for being a regular supporter of local charities. The mural is located on Forge Road and was created by one of the UK’s leading artists, Bristol-based Hazard One.
Hazard One also stood out in the same town for creating a mural dedicated to actor Richard Burton, born in Pontrhydyfen (5 km from the city), a star in the film Where Eagles Dare, and to actress Peg Entwistle, a native of Port Talbot who rose to fame thanks to her stage career in 1925, appearing in many Broadway productions.

The examples of Narni and Port Talbot demonstrate how art can regenerate cities lacking in character. Street Art becomes shared, accessible to all, a harbinger of beauty, and a driver of urban regeneration.