While on holiday in Italy, especially in summer months it is common to stumble upon beautiful chalk paintings which embellish the country’s already beautiful streets and piazzas. These pieces of art have been designed by so called Madonnari.
The Italian Madonnari are an ancient form of artists whose origin has been traced to the sixteenth century. Many were itinerant artists, who travelled around the country working on the many monuments which were being built during the Renaissance, and who lent their artistic vision to builders to help visualize the plans of the architects, by sketching engravings or entire facades on the ground for the builders to see.
