Tumulto: Graphic Novel Follows Two Friends on a Punk Road Trip Through the Balkans

Tumulto is a graphic novel by Alice Milani and Silvia Rocchi, published by Eris Edizioni in 2016. The story follows two friends, Alice and Silvia, who travel on a Yamaha Virago 535 from the Italian province to the Drina River, a site of Serbian soldier massacres in 1914. The journey symbolizes a search for serenity and liberation from inner conflicts: one protagonist escapes a oppressive love affair, the other seeks the river as homage to a song she wrote in her youth. The narrative is partially autobiographical, with characters sharing the authors' names and appearances. The book explores themes of punk music as a unifying force, with encounters with rock'n'roll bikers, punk concerts, and shared passion for bands like Dead Kennedys and Ramones. The authors emphasize music's role in connecting people across distances. The journey traverses former Yugoslav regions marked by war, depicting landscapes of gray skies, deserted roads, and a lingering sense of past suffering. The illustrations combine both artists' styles into a cohesive, expressive line work with painterly intensity. The book is 168 pages, priced at €17.50, ISBN 9788898644292.