The Bernacchi Tribute Sculptures

The Bernacchi Tribute Sculptures feature a collection of bronze figures huddled against the biting winds of Hobart’s waterfront. These statues commemorate Diego Bernacchi, an Italian migrant who arrived here in the eighteen eighties with an ambitious plan to establish a silk industry. He planted thousands of mulberry trees to feed silkworms, believing the Tasmanian climate mirrored his home country. The venture failed within a few years, but Bernacchi stayed, leaving behind the local legend of a man chasing an impossible harvest.