Giulia BlocalMAPS
My travel notebooks, in map form.
Whenever I travel for my books and research, I save everything in Google Maps. Over the years, those notes have grown into a collection of street art maps that I use whenever I return to a city.
The street art and murals I want to find again are only part of it. I also save independent bookshops, museums, cafés and restaurants, neighbourhoods I love to spend time in, and the addresses I pick up along the way.
Many of those recommendations come from people I meet while I’m there. Artists might send me to a favourite bar, a small exhibition space, somewhere to eat after painting, or simply a place they think I should see to understand their city a little better.
Over the years, these Maps have become my travel notebooks in map form: a record of what I discover myself and what local artists and people from the scene recommend to me.
I share the whole collection for free with Beyond the Walls subscribers.
Subscribe to Beyond the Walls, my free monthly newsletter about street art, graffiti and cities in flux, and I’ll send you the private link to the complete collection.
What you’ll find in my Maps?
These are the same Google Maps I use while travelling, built from first-hand exploration rather than assembled from online lists.
You’ll find street art and murals worth seeking out, along with places I’ve discovered myself or that local artists have recommended to me. That might mean an urban art gallery or museum, an independent bookshop, a café or restaurant, or simply somewhere that became part of my own experience of the city.
Some pins link back to articles on BLocal, where you can read more about an artwork, neighbourhood or place.
And because cities never stay still, I keep the Maps continuously updated. I remove places that have closed and artworks that have disappeared, while adding new discoveries whenever I return.
How do the Maps work?
They are regular Google Maps, so you don’t need to download a separate app.
Open the private link I send you, choose the city or country you’re interested in, and save the Map to use while you travel.
Use the pins as starting points, follow whatever catches your attention, and build your own route through the city.
Can’t find your maps?
Already a Beyond the Walls subscriber and can’t find your link?
I keep the private Maps link in the footer of every Beyond the Walls email, so you can always find it again in the latest issue in your inbox.
Just subscribed and haven’t received the Maps yet?
Give it a few minutes: Substack sends the link in your welcome email shortly after you subscribe. If it still hasn’t arrived, check your Spam and Promotions folders, and search your inbox for “Welcome to Beyond the Walls”.
Still nothing? Get in touch and I’ll help you find it.
Street Art Maps currently available in these countries:
Albania · Belgium · Bulgaria · Czech Republic · Estonia · France · Germany · Greece · Italy · Latvia · Norway · Portugal · Serbia · Slovenia · Spain · Switzerland · The Netherlands · United Kingdom