"The Floating Piers" was one of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's most visually stunning and ambitious projects, realized from 2014 to 2016. This installation involved creating a temporary floating walkway on Italy's Lake Iseo, connecting the town of Sulzano to the island of Monte Isola and the smaller island of San Paolo. The project aimed to provide a unique and immersive experience, allowing visitors to "walk on water" and engage directly with the landscape.

The concept for "The Floating Piers" was conceived in the 1970s, but it wasn't until 2014 that Christo began the planning and realization of the project, following Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009. Christo selected Lake Iseo for its picturesque setting and the logistical feasibility of the installation. The project was entirely self-financed through the sale of Christo's preparatory sketches, drawings, and other artworks, ensuring complete artistic independence (The Art Story).

The installation consisted of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes covered in 100,000 square meters of bright yellow fabric. These cubes formed a modular floating dock system that created a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) walkway, with the fabric extending onto the streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio. The fabric was designed to change colors depending on the time of day and weather conditions, creating a dynamic visual experience for visitors (The Art Story) (Artnet News).

"The Floating Piers" opened to the public on June 18, 2016, and remained in place for 16 days. During this time, it attracted over 1.2 million visitors from around the world, far exceeding initial expectations. Visitors could walk from Sulzano to Monte Isola and around the island of San Paolo, experiencing the sensation of walking on water. The installation was free to the public, reinforcing Christo and Jeanne-Claude's commitment to making art accessible to everyone (The Art Story) (Artnet News).

The project required extensive logistical planning and collaboration with local authorities, engineers, and environmental scientists to ensure safety and minimal environmental impact. The modular design of the piers allowed for easy assembly and disassembly, and all materials were recycled after the installation was dismantled on July 3, 2016 (The Art Story) (Artnet News).

"The Floating Piers" was widely celebrated for its beauty and the unique experience it offered. It transformed Lake Iseo into a temporary art installation that invited viewers to engage with the landscape in a new and intimate way. The project highlighted Christo and Jeanne-Claude's ability to create large-scale environmental art that interacts harmoniously with its surroundings, leaving a lasting impression on those who experienced it (The Art Story) (Artnet News).