Fontana La Nave di Cascella

Pietro Cascella's La Nave stands on Pescara's seafront at Largo Mediterraneo. Carved from Carrara marble in the form of an ancient galley, the work was inaugurated on 4 July 1987 and donated to the city by the sculptor.

Why it matters

The fountain became a civic emblem, drawing on Pescara's relationship with the sea. Cascella developed the idea in the early 1980s and proposed Largo Mediterraneo as its site in 1984. Before its installation in Pescara, a model and travertine study were shown in Florence's Piazza Santa Croce in 1986.

What to notice

The stylized galley measures about fifteen metres long, nine metres wide and four metres high, and rises from a rectangular basin. Its prow faces inland. The Comune connects this orientation with themes of work, travel and return. A travertine study for the sculpture is held in the town hall.

Context and history

The work was installed at Largo Mediterraneo, where Corso Umberto I meets the beach. The square had previously held a First World War memorial, removed during the wartime requisition of bronzes in 1942. In 2016 the Ministry of Culture declared the fountain and surrounding square an asset of cultural interest. Since 2018, La Nave has also been part of Pescara's Fuga dal Museo project, which presents Cascella's sculptures across the city.