Monumento a Pietro Vassena

A bronze portrait of inventor Pietro Vassena stands on Lecco’s Lungolario Isonzo, facing Lake Como. In 1948, Vassena descended to 412 metres near Argegno in the bathyscaphe C3, setting a world record at the time and drawing attention to the lake’s depths.

Why it matters

The monument commemorates Pietro Vassena, born in Malgrate in 1897 and active as an inventor of engines and underwater instruments. His bathyscaphe C3 made the record descent in 1948. The lakeside setting links the inventor with the body of water that made his achievement possible and with the communities along its shores.

What to notice

The bronze portrait stands along the waterfront, with the lake behind it and Malgrate, Vassena’s birthplace, across the water. The inscription identifies the inventor and his work. Vassena’s 1948 descent to 412 metres near Argegno was close to the lake’s deepest measured point and remains a notable achievement in the history of underwater exploration.

Context and history

Vassena’s work ranged from engines and mopeds to underwater instruments. Between 1946 and 1948 he designed and built the bathyscaphe C3. On 12 March 1948, near Argegno, he descended to 412 metres, then a world record. Vassena died in Lecco in 1967. The bronze monument on Lungolario Isonzo commemorates his work and his connection to the lake.