Floating art lets people walk on water at Italy’s Lake Iseo

By Sophie Morlin-Yron, for CNN
3 minute read
Updated 5:28 AM EDT, Mon June 27, 2016
Until July 3, visitors to Lake Iseo in northern Italy can stroll along a three-kilometer-long walkway across the lake.
Walking on water —
Until July 3, visitors to Lake Iseo in northern Italy can stroll along a three-kilometer-long walkway across the lake.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
The Floating Piers -- a new free installation by artist Christo -- lets the public walk between the mainland and the lake's two islands.
The Floating Piers —
The Floating Piers -- a new free installation by artist Christo -- lets the public walk between the mainland and the lake's two islands.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
Hikers in the mountains surrounding the lake will have a bird's-eye view of the piers.
Mountain views —
Hikers in the mountains surrounding the lake will have a bird's-eye view of the piers.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images
Some 270,000 people turned up in the first five days, meaning that the attraction has had to be closed between midnight and 6 a.m. to allow for cleaning and repair of wear and tear.
Hugely popular —
Some 270,000 people turned up in the first five days, meaning that the attraction has had to be closed between midnight and 6 a.m. to allow for cleaning and repair of wear and tear.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
Visitors can walk on the piers from the town Sulzano on the mainland to the islands Monte Isola and San Paolo -- a tiny island with only one house which is framed by the floating docks.
Island tour —
Visitors can walk on the piers from the town Sulzano on the mainland to the islands Monte Isola and San Paolo -- a tiny island with only one house which is framed by the floating docks.
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images
The blocks are made of polystyrene and wrapped in 100,000 square meters of yellow fabric.
The blocks —
The blocks are made of polystyrene and wrapped in 100,000 square meters of yellow fabric.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
"We chose this lake because of its marvelous location, the islands reach hundreds of meters above the sea and only 2,000 people live there," Christo tells CNN.
'Marvelous location' —
"We chose this lake because of its marvelous location, the islands reach hundreds of meters above the sea and only 2,000 people live there," Christo tells CNN.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
Lake Iseo is located 100 kilometers east of Milan and 200 kilometers west of Venice.
Northern Italy —
Lake Iseo is located 100 kilometers east of Milan and 200 kilometers west of Venice.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
The installation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, says the artist. Once taken down, the material will be recycled.
Once in a lifetime —
The installation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, says the artist. Once taken down, the material will be recycled.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images
Walk on water at Italy's Lake Iseo
CNN  — 

Thanks to a pop-up art installation made of floating saffron-colored walkways, visitors to northern Italy’s Lake Iseo can now walk on water.

Well, sort of.

The Floating Piers, an artwork which moves with the waves, stretches across the lake linking two islands to the mainland – transforming the otherwise tranquil island of Monte Isola into a tourist hot-spot for 16 days this summer.

Destination: Italy

The free installation opened on June 18, but its popularity has exceeded organizers’ expectations.

Some 270,000 people turned up in the first five days, meaning that the attraction has had to be closed between midnight and 6 a.m. to allow for cleaning and repair of wear and tear.

Made by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the golden walkway is made from floating polystyrene docks topped with 100,000 square meters of shimmering golden yellow fabric, a stark contrast to the green mountainous landscape that surrounds the lake.

“We chose this lake because of its marvelous location, the islands reach hundreds of meters above the sea and only 2,000 people live there,” says Bulgarian-American artist Christo, who conceived of the idea back in 1970 together with his now late wife, Jeanne-Claude.

Tranquility and elements of nature

There are few cars on Monte Isola, which is the largest island on Lake Iseo. Here, people use bikes or Vespas, or simply walk.

A ferry service connects its only town to the mainland – an apt choice for the open-air installation which the artist hopes will encourage the simple joys of taking a walk amidst all the elements of nature.