Trieste celebrates one of its most famous symbols, the bathyscaphe Trieste, by bringing to the surface a story of ingenuity, courage and peace. From Oct. 5 to Nov. 9, in Piazza Unità d’Italia, citizens and visitors will be able to admire a full-scale (1:1) faithful reproduction of the submarine that in 1960 reached the record depth of 10,916 meters in the Mariana Trench, a feat that marked a memorable chapter in the history of world scientific exploration.
The initiative, titled Batiscafo Trieste 2025, was presented at a press conference on September 22, attended by Councillor for Culture and Tourism Policies Giorgio Rossi, Mare Nordest general manager Roberto Bolelli, and representatives of the institutions and companies that supported the project: the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Fondazione CRTrieste, Trieste Trasporti, Rolex and M23 Srl. The work, after public display during the Barcolana period, will be permanently placed at the Diego de Henriquez War for Peace Museum, a place that preserves its ideal legacy. The bathyscaphe’s movement to the Julian capital is scheduled as early as dawn on Sept. 29, while the official inauguration will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 12 noon, with a public ceremony in Piazza Unità.
The return of the bathyscaphe “Trieste” to the city of its birth is not only a cultural event, but an act of collective memory. In fact, the boat’s original project was born in the Julian capital thanks to the collaboration between Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard and his son Jacques, pioneers of atmospheric and oceanic exploration, and the support of Diego de Henriquez, an intellectual and collector from Trieste, who sensed the symbolic and scientific significance of that technological challenge.
De Henriquez, whose name today gives title to the museum that will house the replica, saw in the bathyscaphe not only an engineering marvel, but a message of peace: a demonstration that science and technology, often born for purposes of war, could be tools of knowledge and progress. It was he who encouraged the Piccards to choose Trieste as their base of operations, facilitating the construction of the craft at the Cantieri Riuniti dell’Adriatico in Trieste and Monfalcone, with the pressurized cabin built at Acciaierie Terni. In that synergy of idealism, technology and vision was formed the feat that in 1960 led Jacques Piccard and Lt. Don Walsh, of the U.S. Navy, to touch down on the deepest known point on the planet, the Challenger Deep. A descent lasting more than four hours that marked the scientific imagination of the twentieth century and consecrated Trieste as the capital of oceanographic research.
Raising the idea of reconstructing the legendary submarine in full scale was the Mare Nordest association, active since 2012 in promoting sea culture and environmental awareness. The project immediately found the support of the City of Trieste, which recognized its high symbolic value and ability to enrich the heritage of the de Henriquez Museum. Also crucial was the contribution of Rolex, which in 1960 had accompanied the venture with the experimental Rolex Deep Sea Special watch, capable of withstanding the extreme pressures of the deep. The company made available for the occasion a replica of the original watch, which will be part of the museum display.
The construction of the new bathyscaphe was entrusted to M23 Srl, a company based in Ciserano (Bergamo, Italy) and internationally recognized for the construction of advanced submarines and hyperbaric chambers, a partner of the navies and special forces of several countries. A genuine masterpiece of celebratory engineering was born in the Lombard warehouses, using state-of-the-art technology and meticulous historical fidelity.
The original Trieste bathyscaphe measured 15.40 meters in length, 3.5 meters in diameter and 8.5 meters in height, with a displacement of 51 tons. The heart of the vessel was the pressurized spherical cabin, a molybdenum steel shell two meters in diameter and up to 15 centimeters thick, designed to withstand pressures of more than 11 tons per square centimeter. That structure, built with top-notch Italian industrial expertise, allowed Piccard and Walsh to descend to the deepest point ever reached by man. On that occasion, the Rolex Deep Sea Special strapped to the hull proved its endurance, becoming a symbol of mechanical precision and the link between innovation, adventure and knowledge.
The feat of the Trieste bathyscaphe and its contemporary rebirth will also be recounted by director Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, who is making a medium-length film dedicated to the project. The film will document all stages of the replica’s construction, from the workings in the M23 warehouses to its journey to the sea and arrival in Piazza Unità.
The work will not just be a technical chronicle, but a poetic tale that interweaves images, memory and vision. Finazzer Flory restores through the camera the epic tension of the feat, but also the emotion of those who helped bring to light a symbol of human genius. The film is scheduled to premiere in January 2026 and will offer audiences an immersive experience that links science, art and civic sentiment.
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| The return of the bathyscaphe Trieste: the city celebrates its hero of the deep |
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