In Naples, Italy, where Diego Maradona is worshipped as Napoli’s greatest ever player, more street art featuring the footballing legend can be found here than almost any other city, perhaps after Buenos Aires. Photos by Matt from Buenos Aires Street Art.
Dios Umano – giant mural by Jorit Agoch in the outskirts of Naples (photo © BA Street Art)
One of the most iconic and biggest murals of Maradona in Napoli is located at San Giovanni a Teduccio in the outskirts of the city. This giant portrait by Italian street artist Jorit Agoch was first painted in 2017 to mark 30 years since ‘el D10S’ helped Napoli win their first ever league title. Following Maradona’s death on November 25th 2020, the mural at the social housing complex, which was regarded as one of the roughest areas in Naples, has become a focal point for fans wishing to pay their respects to their footballing hero.
Mural near Stazione Centrale featuring Maradona by Jorit (photo © BA Street Art)
Another huge portrait of Maradona by Jorit was painted in 2020 near Stazione Centrale in downtown Naples. It forms part of a triptych featuring Italian singer-songwriter Pino Daniele and actor Massimo Troisi.
Mural by Argentine artist Maxi Bagnasco (photo © BA Street Art)
More eye-catching Maradona street art can be found outside Naples including this stunning portrait by Argentine street artist Maxi Bagnasco (above) near Pompeii; and this one (below) by Leticia Mandragora in Gragnano.
Mural by Leticia Mondragora (photo © BA Street Art)
Quartieri Spagnoli
Life-size cut out of Maradona with Argentine football shirts in Naples (photo © BA Street Art)
Quartieri Spagnoli or the Spanish Quarter is the neighbourhood inhabited by the most South American immigrants in Naples. It should therefore come as little surprise that there are more murals, stencils, mosaics, shrines, banners and tributes to Maradona here than any other part of the city. We loved looking up to see this new life-like cardboard cut out of Maradona wearing a Boca Juniors shirt and Cuban military cap smoking a cigar.
Plaza Maradona Via Emanuele de Deo in Quartieri Spagnoli (photo © BA Street Art)
Mario Filardi painted a famous mural of Maradona on the wall in this square in 1990 after Napoli won its second Scudetto. A window is located just where Maradona’s face is on the wall. Tragically Filardi died in 2010 with the mural later deteriorating so badly that in 2016, another artist Salvadore Iodice was asked to restore it. However, some local residents weren’t too happy with the job he did painting the face so they then invited Argentine street artist Francisco Bosoletti to make some changes to make it more realistic. Bosoletti repainted the face but left the body how Iodice had created it. So it turned out to be an Italian-Argentine collaboration – very appropriate!
Shrine including Boca Juniors shirts with Maradona’s name on the back (photo © BA Street Art)
Portraits of Maradona painted by Juan Pablo Gimenez (photo © BA Street Art)
We entered a shop in Quartieri Spagnoli and the man working there asked us where we are from. When we said ‘Argentina’, he got out his cellphone to show us a photo of him as a young man posed up next to Maradona. Such is the fanaticism for Maradona and football in Napoli, it was like being back in Buenos Aires.
Maradona artwork by JP Gimenez saying ‘ the ball alway to #10’ on Via Emanuele de Deo (photo © BA Street Art)
Speak to any Napoli resident about Maradona and the first word they will say is “Dios” regarding him as a footballing god after his magic on the pitch helped Napoli to their first ever domestic title in 1986-87 season and then for a second time in 1989-1990.
Heaven sent by JP Gimenez (photo © BA Street Art)
You can see dozens of humorous artworks around ‘Piazza Maradona’, in good humour ,depicting the former Argentina captain as a saint, an angel, a god or even Jesus. Many of these murals were painted by local street artist Juan Pablo Gimenez.
Angel Diego mural by JP Gimenez (photo © BA Street Art)
Maradona as Jesus mural on the wall of a juice bar by JP Gimenez (photo © BA Street Art)
This mural above features Maradona as Jesus Christ with a tattoo reading ‘Quartieri Spagnoli’ and an Italian shield with the number 4 – representing the amount of titles Napoli has won.
‘Saint’ Maradona with Pope Francis on Via Emanuele de Deo (photo © BA Street Art)
Another D10S shrine on Via Emanuele de Deo (photo © BA Street Art)
Other iconic images of Maradona feature on the walls including him in a white fox fur coat in 1984, and smoking a Havana cigar on his yacht in Cuba in 2000.
Roman Emperor guise off Via Toledo (photo © BA Street Art)
Our favourite restaurant on our trip where we dined twice was Osteria Il Gobbetto on Vico Sergente Maggiore 8 and we stumbled across this framed artwork featuring Maradona as a Roman Emperor with a wreath, toga, goblet of wine and cigar.
Maradona erupting out of Vesuvius (photo © BA Street Art)
This mock-up of Maradona coming out of Vesuvius also drew a few chuckles.
Mosaic street art
Mosaic artwork by I Pixel di Plontis (photo © BA Street Art)
Plenty of mosaic street art featuring Maradona by French artist I Pixel di Plontis can also be found all around the city.
Mosaic artwork featuring Maradona’s Hand of God goal (photo © BA Street Art)
Centro Storico
Portrait of young Maradona by Argentine artist Alanizart (photo © BA Street Art)
Always cool when visiting another city to come across murals by Argentine street artists. This portrait of ‘El Pibe de Oro’ close to Dante metro station in Centro Storico was painted by Argentine street artist Alanizart in 2022. Alanizart wrote on his Instagram that it was always an ambition of his to paint a mural of Maradona in Napoli. He described: “My humble homage to Maradona, a contradictory person in the eyes of many, but because of that, always an interesting character to paint.”
Mural depicting Maradona as D10S or ‘god’ in Centro Storico (photo © BA Street Art)
Several portraits of Maradona can be found off Piazza Crocelle ai Mannesi. This mural immortalising Maradona with the infinity sign by Juan Pablo Giménez depicts the superstar footballer as D10S or ‘god incorporating the number that was on the back of his shirt.
Maradona portrait at Il Miracolo pizzeria (photo © BA Street Art)
A few metres away at Il Miracolo restaurant in Piazza Crocelle ai Mannes hangs a portrait of Maradona lining up at the 1986 World Cup.
Murals by Maker Garcia & Hebs Art on Vico Dei Maiorani (photo © BA Street Art)
Under an archway on Vico Dei Maiorani are two striking Maradona murals facing one another by Mexican artists Maker Garcia and Hebs Art painted in 2023. The narrow streets between Via San Biagio Dei Librai and Via de Tribunali are also good areas to find paste-ups and stencils
Paste-ups
King Diego paste-up on Rua Catalana (photo © BA Street Art)
Lots of paste-ups around the neighourhood including this one depicting Maradona as a king with a crown, sceptre, robe and a pipe by Libereo on Rua Catalana.
Paste-up by Mirko Leuzzi on Via San Pietro a Maiella (photo © BA Street Art)
On Via San Pietro a Maiella, a large paste-up wall includes an artwork by Mirko Leuzzi featuring Maradona as an angel carrying the Coppa Campioni d’Italia. More wheat-pastes can be seen continuing along Via Port’Alba that is an attractive street full of bookshops and stalls selling second-hand books.
Maradona Spritz
Bar on Via de Tribunali offering Sobillo per Maradona (photo © BA Street Art)
Walking along Via de Tribunali, we were surprised by the amount of bars with murals of Maradona and drinks with his name. This one on Via Tribunali was offering an Aperol Spritz ‘Sorbillo per Maradona’ or ‘a sip for Maradona’.
Maradona Spritz (photo © BA Street Art)
Caffe di Mary in Piazza Luigi Miraglia offers a Maradona Spritz and tempts customers to try the drink with the message: ‘Thank you God. For football, for Maradona, for these tears’.
Store with cups & figures of Maradona (photo © BA Street Art)
It’s crazy also the amount of shops selling Maradona-themed souvenirs, mugs, T-shirts and football jerseys. One high street clothing store on Via Toledo even had a mini-museum of Maradona on the first floor. Even coming from Buenos Aires where there are hundreds of Maradona and Messi murals, we were shocked by level of Maradona mania in Napoli.
All photos © Buenos Aires Street Art
