Miramis celebrates the launch of the new underwater park of Monte Argentario

With the installation of the five sculptures on the seabed, the new artistic and environmental trail developed by the Municipality of Monte Argentario in collaboration with Casa dei Pesci Association and Accademia Mare Ambiente officially comes to life.

Argentario, July 2, 2026 – There comes a moment at sea when marble ceases to be a sculpture and becomes a reef. That moment took place today off the coast of Monte Argentario, between Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano, with the installation of five monumental marble sculptures on the seabed, officially inaugurating the new Underwater Park of Monte Argentario, an artistic and environmental initiative developed by the Municipality of Monte Argentario in collaboration with Casa dei Pesci Association and Accademia Mare Ambiente, and strongly supported by Miramis.

The installation, carried out this morning, involved a highly coordinated logistical operation. The five sculptures, each weighing between 12 and 15 tonnes and carved from marble donated by Franco Barattini, owner of Cave Michelangelo (Carrara), were transported by sea on a barge equipped with a crane. Once lowered into the water, they were entrusted to the divers of the Operational Diving Group (GOS) of COMSUBIN, the Italian Navy’s elite diving unit, who guided them to their designated locations on the seabed according to an underwater mapping plan developed by Accademia Mare Ambiente and Casa dei Pesci Association, with contributions from researchers at the University of Siena and Argentario Scuba Point. The Coast Guard and the Guardia di Finanza ensured, respectively, the safety of navigation and the secure execution of the operations.

Among the five installations, particular prominence is given to La Poltrona - Echinos, the sculpture made possible through the support of Miramis and created through the collaboration between artist and architect Corrado Levi, architect Andrea Marini Leandri, and artist Francesca Bonanni. A marble armchair resting on the seabed, accompanied by a footstool and a sea urchin placed on an open book, the work offers a quiet invitation to pause beneath the surface and reflect on the relationship between humanity, art and nature.

Created by Italian and international artists from Carrara’s renowned artistic district, the five installations form the core of the new Underwater Park. The sculptures will interact with a network of 3D-printed artificial reefs and specially designed structures that promote the regrowth of Posidonia seagrass. Over the coming months, as natural biological colonisation begins, the area will become a new destination for divers and snorkellers, offering visitors the opportunity to experience a one-of-a-kind underwater art trail.

“Watching the sculptures slowly descend beneath the water’s surface, knowing they will become a living part of this sea, is an incredibly moving moment and the beginning of a transformation that will unfold over many years: art becoming nature. For Miramis, this represents the truest meaning of hospitality, caring for the places that welcome us, today and for generations to come”, stated Stefano Cuoco, CEO of Miramis.

Miramis’ support for the Underwater Park reflects the Group’s broader long-term commitment to the planet, the communities where we operate and the sustainable development of its destinations, through which it promotes initiatives that create a lasting legacy in the communities where it operates. Supporting the creation of this underwater museum means contributing to the protection of a unique natural heritage while working alongside local communities on projects that generate lasting environmental and cultural value.