Via Del Campo

Fabrizio De André's song "Via Del Campo" paints a vivid picture of a street in Genoa, Italy, known for its marginalized inhabitants. The song opens with the image of a charming woman with large, leaf-colored eyes who stands at the threshold all night, selling the same rose to everyone. This metaphorical rose symbolizes love, hope, and perhaps the illusion of something beautiful and pure in a place often associated with hardship and vice.

The song continues to describe a young girl with dew-colored lips and gray eyes like the street, who leaves flowers wherever she walks. This imagery suggests innocence and purity amidst the harsh realities of life on Via Del Campo. The juxtaposition of her innocence with the street's roughness highlights the contrast between the beauty of human spirit and the grim environment.

De André then introduces a prostitute with large, leaf-colored eyes, who, if you desire to love her, you only need to take her hand. This act of taking her hand and feeling as if you're going far away, only to realize that paradise is just on the first floor, speaks to the fleeting and often illusory nature of happiness and escape. The song concludes with a poignant message: love and laugh if love responds, cry loudly if it doesn't. The final lines, "from diamonds, nothing is born; from manure, flowers are born," encapsulate the song's essence. It suggests that true beauty and growth often come from the most unexpected and humble places, not from wealth or superficiality.

"Via Del Campo" is a profound reflection on the human condition, love, and the beauty that can emerge from adversity. De André's poetic lyrics and evocative imagery invite listeners to look beyond appearances and find the hidden beauty in life's most challenging circumstances.