Madonna Stella Maris sculpture in Sardinia goes viral for vaginal resemblance

A granite sculpture of the Madonna Stella Maris by Sardinian artist Maria Scanu, installed in 1999 in Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia, has gone viral on social media after a Facebook post pointed out its resemblance to a vagina. The 4-meter-tall work, titled "Madonna dei Naviganti," was donated to local fishermen and stands on a promontory near Torre del Longonsardo. Following Scanu's death in 2016 at age 85, the sculpture gained renewed attention. A post on the Facebook page Sardegna Che Passione sparked widespread commentary and sharing, with many users noting the vaginal shape. The controversy has drawn international attention, with some defending the work as a symbol of fertility and the Great Mother. The article compares the incident to other public art controversies, such as the blue banana in Pietrasanta, the Toh bull in Turin, and a porchetta sculpture in Rome. The author frames the debate as a light-hearted end-of-summer cultural squabble.