The monument to Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a large sculpture on the walkway of the south pier of the harbour of San Benedetto del Tronto. It was unveiled on 25 May 1986, the work of the Giulianova artist Mario Lupo, commissioned by the Circolo dei Sambenedettesi as a tribute to the hero of the novel by the American writer Richard Bach.
What to see
The artist conceived it as a «monument of sky and wind», an open, airy structure. It stands eight metres above the quay: a large ring of bluish steel, six metres across, frames the sea and the horizon, and on top perches Jonathan the seagull in bronze, cast by the lost-wax method, with a wingspan of one metre eighty. Inside and at the base of the ring is a flock of twelve bronze gulls, three metres high in all.
The monument celebrates the industry, generosity and tenacity of seafaring people, used to facing storms, and at the same time invites the young to go beyond their limits in search of freedom.
Visiting
The monument is in the open air, along the walkway of the south pier, freely reachable on foot.
Our editors' tip
The sculpture is one stop on the pier walk, also called «Jonathan's Way», where the Museo d'Arte sul Mare has gathered works carved directly into the travertine blocks of the breakwater: it is worth walking the whole length.
