The depths teach us

Azzurra is twelve years old and has a huge passion: the sea. When the "black devil," a mysterious deep-sea fish, appears on the surface in Tenerife, she realizes that something strange is happening in the oceans. Together with her new friend Estela and the guidance of her brother Enrico, a future marine biologist, Azzurra discovers an incredible world of bioluminescent creatures and secrets hidden in the depths.

Here, the animals are in serious danger due to human activities and have decided to ask for help... but they can only communicate with those who truly know how to listen! To decipher the message of the deep-sea animals and spread it as widely as possible, the two friends created Blue Star, an Instagram page (@Bluestar_oceannews) that aims to bring together young enthusiasts around the world fighting to save the oceans. They are joined by two other young men, Jacques from France and Nereo from Greece, and together they will explore the deep sea off the coast of Sicily, where "someone" is waiting for them...

Co-written by Roberto Danovaro , an internationally renowned marine biologist and deep-sea expert, and Claudia Fachinetti , a naturalist and science communicator, Operation Abyss (Il battello a vapore, 2026, €16.50, 208 pages) presents itself as an adventure worthy of Jacques Cousteau and Jules Verne, where the protagonists, aboard a bathyscaphe, encounter extraordinary species and face numerous dangers and threats. Ultimately, they realize they can make a difference in helping humanity change direction and commit to protecting and restoring deep-sea ecosystems, the largest, most mysterious, and vulnerable on the planet.

We asked the two authors how the idea for a book about the deep sea came about , a universe so little known and even less explored in our literature. Here's their answer:

Danovaro : "Operation Abyss was born out of REDRESS, a European Union-funded project for the restoration of deep-sea ecosystems. We wanted to create scientific outreach activities that weren't just aimed at adults, but could also inspire younger generations and raise awareness of a portion of the planet covering about half its surface, still largely unknown, but under serious threat."

Fachinetti : "With this book, we recount real facts and marine creatures, bizarre but certainly real, inserting them into a fascinating and engaging adventure for children: a way to teach the truth and promote scientific culture—which has the same value as history and literature—through entertainment and emotional engagement."

Besides engaging young sea enthusiasts, have you set yourself other goals with your book?

Danovaro : "The primary goal was to tell kids that saving the planet can be their life's mission, something to strive for and study for. But the hope is also that many parents, to encourage their children to read, don't just buy and give the book as a gift, but read it with them at night, before bed. Maybe even adults might discover that there are serious environmental problems that we should all be much more aware of and committed to addressing."

Fachinetti : "With Operazione Abissi, we'd like to reach even kids who aren't passionate about science, perhaps finding it difficult or boring. Stories, however, in the form of novels, engage everyone, and in this case, between one line and the next, knowledge is increased and environmental awareness is fostered."

What is the state of health of the deep?

Danovaro : "The ocean depths have long been considered a kind of Eden: a place far from humans and therefore still safe from the impacts humanity is having on many natural habitats. However, now that we've begun to study them better, we're realizing that these environments are also at risk. Climate change and direct human pressures, from pollution to oil and gas extraction and mining, can significantly damage even ecosystems so far away from us. This is why we have a duty to protect them and, where we've already caused damage, to restore them."

Fachinetti : "Marine ecosystems are fragile, and we must stop taking them for granted. Just look at the amount of plastic washed up on beaches by the sea, or think about how much more difficult it is today, compared to 30 or 40 years ago, to observe many marine creatures in their natural habitat."

And how are the Italian seas doing?

Danovaro : "Even in the Mediterranean, there is a serious risk of biodiversity loss. Here, trawling and the waste accumulating on the seabed, especially within underwater canyons, are causing significant damage to deep-sea white coral reefs and the most vulnerable habitats. This is why we must extend marine protection to these environments and restore them, as we are doing in the Dohrn Canyon, off Naples, and in the Bari Canyon, as part of the REDRESS and LIFE DREAM projects."