650-Meter Land Art Necklace on Monte Bregagno to Disappear

German artist Ralf Witthaus has created a temporary land art piece titled 'Il Tesoro Smarrito' (The Lost Treasure) on the grassy ridges of Monte Bregagno, 1100 meters above Lake Como. The 650-meter-long curvilinear drawing, shaped like a necklace, was cut into the grass using lawnmowers over ten days, relying solely on the color contrast between brown earth and green grass. The work references a historical coral necklace passed down through generations in local families as a marriage promise. Curator Chiara Donisi, president of the association OverLAPS (Over Landscape, Architecture and Public Spaces), invited Witthaus to realize the project as a platform to discuss the future of the Alto Lario region, where many alpine pastures have lost their economic function and become abandoned, leading to cultural and economic impoverishment. Donisi notes that fifty years ago the area was vibrant with agriculture and livestock farming, and the artwork aims to bring people back to the landscape, encouraging them to care for it again. The piece is intended to be ephemeral: within a few weeks, the cut grass will regrow and the drawing will vanish. Witthaus explains that the act of cutting grass is an artistic gesture, not a permanent change, and that nature will erase the work as part of the piece. He adds that the necklace refers to a promise made by a young man long ago, suggesting there is something worth returning for. The project was produced in 2017 by OverLAPS.