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⛲ Satoshi Fountain
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In Parco Ciani, a public park open every day: 6:30–23:30 (March–October) and 6:30–21:00 (November–February). Source: City of Lugano – Parco Ciani
Who's behind it
Unveiled by Plan ₿, the joint initiative of Tether and the City of Lugano. Who paid for the piece has not been stated. Source: Tether / Plan ₿ (Oct 2024)
Part of Valentina Picozzi’s 21 Nodes series of Satoshi statues. See all 21 Nodes →
About
First of the optical-illusion series. Unveiled in Parco Ciani in Oct 2024, it was later moved to the Foce, the mouth of the Cassarate river, where vandals threw it into Lake Lugano on the night of 1–2 Aug 2025; divers recovered it in pieces. The artist repaired it with the kintsugi technique and it was re-inaugurated on 24 Oct 2025 in the central area of Parco Ciani, near the Dying Socrates sculpture. On 19 Apr 2026 it was vandalized again and found seriously damaged in its central body. It was back on display in Parco Ciani on 22 Oct 2026, the eve of the 5th Plan ₿ Forum.
Reported Unveiled by Plan ₿, the joint initiative of Tether and the City of Lugano. Who paid for the piece has not been stated.Sources: Tether / Plan ₿ (Oct 2024)
What the design means
It is designed to disappear as you change your viewpoint, "symbolizing Satoshi's retreat from the public eye after laying the foundation of a revolutionary financial system". It is the first statue of the 21 Nodes series.Sources: Tether / Plan ₿ (Oct 2024)Bitcoin Austria: Satoshi statue page
History
After the unveiling it was moved to the Foce, at the mouth of the Cassarate river. Around 2 a.m. on Saturday 2 Aug 2025 a group of youths threw it into the lake; divers recovered it on 3 Aug. It was repaired and re-inaugurated on 24 Oct 2025 after a petition with about 1,300 signatures led by Luca Esposito (Satoshi Spritz). It was vandalized again on 19 Apr 2026 and was back on display in Parco Ciani on 22 Oct 2026.Sources: RSI (Aug 2025)Corriere del Ticino (24 Oct 2025)RSI (19 Apr 2026)
Only facts we could source. Items tagged “Reported” are not fully confirmed.
🧭 Visiting
Getting there
From OpenStreetMap (straight-line distances from the 2024 statue position; routes unverified): the Palazzo Congressi bus stop is about 130 m away, and the Lugano Centro bus hub (TPL) about 360 m.
Parking: the paid underground Autosilo Piazza Castello is about 135 m away (OpenStreetMap).
Exact spot
In Parco Ciani, Lugano's lakefront park. The statue was first installed there in Oct 2024 (pin 46.00441, 8.95659, OpenStreetMap node 12288711744), then moved to the Foce (Cassarate river mouth), where it was thrown into the lake on 1–2 Aug 2025. On 24 Oct 2025 it was re-inaugurated in the central area of Parco Ciani, near the "Dying Socrates" sculpture (Corriere del Ticino). It was damaged there again on 19 Apr 2026 and was back on display in Parco Ciani on 22 Oct 2026, on its plinth on the lakeside lawn (Satoshigallery and visitor photos on X). That exact spot may differ from the 2024 pin and is unverified.
Photo tip
It's a Satoshigallery design, so the figure reads from the side and nearly vanishes from the front.
Generic tip (not from a source): the lake makes a clean background for a head-on shot.
Hours & access
Back on display since 22 Oct 2026 (Satoshigallery on X; visitor photos from the Plan ₿ Forum, 23–26 Oct 2026), after it was found seriously damaged on 19 Apr 2026 (RSI; Ticinonline). It is outdoors in the park, with no admission fee mentioned. Parco Ciani itself is open daily from 6:30 to 23:30 (March–October) and 6:30 to 21:00 (November–February), per the City of Lugano.
