'Walkers on water' flock to Italian lake's art installation
Dreams of walking on water came true in northern Italy after Bulgarian-born artist Christo opened a yellow fabric walkway on Lake Iseo.
People walk on the installation 'The Floating Piers' by Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev, known as Christo, on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 24, 2016.
A yellow fabric walkway floating on Lake Iseo in northern Italy has attracted twice as many visitors as expected and has been forced to close at night for essential repairs and cleaning.
Last Saturday, Bulgarian-born artist Christo opened "The Floating Piers", a 3 km-long walkway from Sulzano on the mainland to the Monte Isola and San Paolo islands, usually accessible only by boat.
Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as just 'Christo', attends a news conference during the presentation of the installation 'The Floating Piers' on Lake Iseo, northern Italy June 16, 2016.
Authorities in the area 100 km northeast of Milan had expected around 40,000 visitors a day and to keep the walkway open around the clock.
But after 97,000 came on Wednesday alone, they decided to close it between midnight and 04:00 GMT.
Made of some 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes covered with shimmering yellow fabric, the piers have suffered more wear and tear than expected.
People walk on the installation 'The Floating Piers' by Bulgarian-born artist Christo on Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 24, 2016.
The linked cubes are anchored to the bed of the lake, forming a 16 meter-wide, 35 centimeter-high surface designed to move gently with the waves.
Admission is free and volunteers are on hand in case anyone falls into the water.
The installation closes on July 3.
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