Marleen Rohmensen
When the famous Bulgarian artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff embarked on his Italian adventure, he had no idea what a huge rush would break out at the usually peaceful Iseomer. Italians and foreign tourists were eager to walk on the water last summer.
Walk on the water
Just like Jesus walking on water. How do you do that without getting a wet suit? From Christo's (his name is certainly appropriate) artful brain sprang this bright idea. He couldn't have imagined a more suitable environment for it. On June 18, the great adventure could begin and July 3 was the last day. This was also an exciting moment for Christo himself.
End result
The preparations required a lot of time and the commitment of many volunteers. After a lot of 'blood, sweat and tears' there was a final result to be proud of. The pontoons were kept stable with large and heavy concrete anchors. La Passarella di Christo was born. Walk four kilometers across the water on an orange carpet sixteen meters wide and half a meter thick. Free access. And that attracted a lot of people last summer!
Expected visitor numbers
The security services had expected about 17.000 visitors a day. There were a total of 1,5 million. From the moment the Passerella opened, hordes of tourists from all over the world began storming tiny Sulzano. An unrelenting stream of people wanted to experience this experience. Sulzano was definitely on the map.
Monte Isola
From the quiet town of Sulzano you could walk to Monte Isola (literally 'island mountain' and popularly called Montisola). It is the largest island of all lakes in Europe. And as a bonus, a tour around the island of San Paolo, which has been owned by the family for years Beretta (the famous Italian arms manufacturer). That is something different than making the crossing in a boat.
Rijendik to Sulzano
My friends, who live in the lovely village of Toline and look out over this picturesque lake, have seen streams of cars pass by for the first few days. This results in traffic jams up to the long tunnels along the lake. There was no end to it. It was soon decided that there was only access to Sulzano by public transport.
They themselves were also able to enjoy the special passeggiata about 'their' lake. A unique experience, they told me.
Day and night
The Passarella was open day and night. Especially at night there was something magical about walking across the dark water to the lights of the islands. In the meantime, 'maintenance' was carried out in order to continue to guarantee safety. On July 2, a storm swept across the lake, leaving the Passarella closed. Furthermore, despite the large crowds, everything went reasonably well.
Must-see, even without the miracle of Christo
Recently also appeared on DitIsItalie.nl an article with some must-sees in Italy and Lake Iseo is definitely one of them. This beautiful lake, surrounded by a high and rugged mountain range, with its cute villages along the banks and in the mountains, where the beautiful views over the lake are breathtaking. It is more than worth a visit, even without La Passarella di Christo.
Photos: Gert Jan Rohmensen
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