This Incredible Public Installation Lets You Walk on Water Across an Italian Lake
After 50 years of planning, Christo's The Floating Piers are open to the public.
Everyone's dreamed of walking on water, and not only has Bulgarian-American artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff made that a reality — he's made it look insanely beautiful as well. After 50 years of planning, Christo's The Floating Piers this week opened to the public at Lake Iseo in the north of Italy. And boy does it look incredible.
The floating pier creates a three-kilometre water walkway from the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the lake. Over 220,000 polyethylene cubes have been used to create a floating dock, which moves with the small waves and gives visitors the feeling of walking on water. Sort of like those mats you'd try and walk on in swimming lessons, but more, y'know, secure. To top is all off, the walkway is covered in 100,000 square metres of shimmering saffron fabric.
"Those who experience The Floating Piers will feel like they are walking on water — or perhaps the back of a whale," said Christo on his website. "The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days."
The Floating Piers were first conceived by Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude back in 1970. Realised almost 50 years later, the project cost around $22 million — all of which has been funded by Christo himself. It's totally free for the public to visit, 24 hours a day, until it wraps up on July 3.
If you're in Italy in the next two weeks, consider this a vigorous nudge. But for everyone else, here's some of the epic Instagrams that have been taken in the last few days.
Top image: The Floating Piers via Instagram.
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