Maicol & Mirco Launch 'Artisti del Cavolo' Project for Vegan and Vegetarian Illustrators

The Italian artist duo Maicol & Mirco (Michael Rocchetti) and Claudia Vagnarelli have launched 'Artisti del Cavolo' (Cabbage Artists), a social media initiative that promotes illustrations by vegan and vegetarian Italian artists. The project debuted on October 15, 2023, on the Instagram page of vegan recipe account 'Ricette del Cavolo', with new works published on the 1st and 15th of each month. The first illustration was by Bruno Bozzetto, the 84-year-old pioneer of Italian animation and creator of Mr. Rossi, who depicted a smiling apple atop a festive cabbage. Bozzetto stated he stopped eating meat five years ago out of love for animals, expressing regret for not doing so earlier. Other participants include Adriano Carnevali, a longtime cartoonist for Corriere dei Piccoli, who became vegetarian around age 50; Noemi Vola, a children's book author who stopped eating animals nine years ago citing ethical and political reasons; Alberto Talami of the duo Lise e Talami, who gave up meat and fish in 2017; and Eliana Albertini, who became vegetarian after childhood experiences with farm animals. The project aims to counter the narrative that vegans are a minority and to encourage others through example. Maicol & Mirco emphasized that many artists have quietly adopted plant-based diets, and the initiative seeks to share their stories.