RestArt 2025: the festival that painted Botrugno in color

RestArt 2025: an edition to remember

On 3 May 2025, the ancient heart of Botrugno turned into an explosion of colors, sounds, and passion. RestArt's third edition exceeded every expectation, bringing one of Southern Italy's liveliest urban art events to Salento.

The numbers

- 2,800 visitors over the three days of the event
- 14 writers from across Italy and Europe
- 6 live freestyle rap performances
- 3 walls revitalized in the historic center

The pieces

This year's theme was "Roots and Future": each writer explored their own relationship with the land, the past, and their vision of tomorrow. The result is an artistic trail running through Via Roma, Piazza San Pietro, and Vicolo dei Figulinai.

> "We weren't expecting anything other than this: seeing the walls speak." — a resident of the neighborhood

Freestyle Battle

On the evening of 4 May, the main square hosted the Open Freestyle Battle, with emcees arriving from Naples, Rome, Bari, and even Barcelona. The competition was won by Luce Nera, a freestyler from Lecce who won over the crowd with razor-sharp improvised bars.

Conclusion

RestArt 2025 proved that street art is a powerful tool for social regeneration. APS OnStage thanks the Municipality of Botrugno, local sponsors, and — above all — the community that opened its doors to us.