Sixty-five years of water, innovation and world records
On May 5, 1961, engineer Giorgio Colletto founded in Castiglione delle Stiviere, in the province of Mantua, what would become one of the most influential players in the global aquatic industry. Sixty-five years ago, there was no real private pool market in Italy, just an idea and the determination to turn it into reality.
The company’s early years, initially focused on packaging, were far from straightforward. A turning point came with its involvement in the development of a harbor and a hotel on Lake Garda, including the installation of four swimming pools. Colletto decided to commercialize pools imported from the United States, launching the Piscine Florida brand. In 1968, the name that would shape the company’s future was introduced: Piscine Castiglione, a tribute to the town that supported its growth. From there, the company, through its international brand Myrtha Pools, began exporting pools to leading universities and some of the most renowned hotels in the United States.
“An important milestone for a family-owned company like ours, now present in 70 markets with 13 branches worldwide. Our history speaks for itself: six Olympic Games, 193 world records achieved in our pools, and dozens of wellness centers and spa facilities developed for major hotel groups. Personally, I prefer to look ahead—to the next innovations and the next milestones, just as we always have.”
- Roberto Colletto, CEO Piscine Castiglione
If there’s one year that marks a true technological turning point for the group, it’s 1977. Building on Colletto’s insight, the Myrtha technology patent was acquired and further developed into a new system: modular steel panels laminated on the water-facing side, combined with a high-resistance membrane applied through a thermal process. The result is a unique solution that combines flexibility, fast installation and long-term durability. Today, Myrtha technology is reflected in impressive figures: six Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), more than 190 world records set in Myrtha pools, and dozens of World Championships hosted.
In 1994, Myrtha made its debut at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome, installing a self-supporting temporary pool on a tennis court at the Foro Italico. It was the first of many projects that would go on to redefine the concept of the competition pool. In 1997, the company developed and patented a technology specifically for renovating aging concrete pools. Once again, supported by Italian expertise and an internal R&D team, RenovAction was introduced. This solution reduces both costs and construction timelines by eliminating the need for full demolition. It remains successful today and represents a more sustainable alternative to traditional renovation methods.
The company’s expansion into major competitions began in 1987 in Strasbourg, with its first temporary pool for the European Swimming Championships. It was at Atlanta 1996, however, that Myrtha firmly established its presence on the global stage: the water polo pool was installed in just 12 days in front of the International Olympic Committee.
From that point forward, the company delivered a continuous series of pools for major events. Myrtha’s technology makes it possible to avoid the construction of so-called “white elephants”, allowing swimming competitions to take place in large stadiums and arenas using temporary pools. After each event, these pools are dismantled and permanently reinstalled in public facilities, creating a lasting legacy for host communities.
This model has been widely adopted, especially in the United States for Olympic Trials, and later by Olympic organizing committees: London 2012, with seven temporary pools later distributed across 14 permanent venues, Rio 2016, with a total of 18 pools, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024, the most ambitious and sustainability-focused edition to date, with 24 pools built, including four temporary pools later reinstalled in suburban areas of Paris.
The World Championships have also played a key role: from Rome 1994 to Fukuoka 2023, from Montreal 2005, with seven pools and nine world records in a single week, to Singapore 2025, where the partnership between Myrtha Pools and World Aquatics was renewed through 2029. This relationship reflects the strong trust placed by the international swimming community in Italian expertise.
While Myrtha Pools continues to deliver Olympic venues and high-end hospitality projects, Piscine Castiglione remains focused on its original core: the italian private pool market. Today, the group has 360 employees, along with 400 agents and distributors, and 13 international branches across 4 continents.
In the wellness and hospitality sector, the brand is a trusted partner for leading hotel groups such as Marriott, Six Senses, Four Seasons, Hilton, Accor, Baccarat, Jumeirah and Rosewood, as well as global investment funds. Myrtha technology has also been extended into wellness applications, including saunas, steam rooms and experiential showers.
Recent awards highlight this expertise: Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa in New Zealand, recognized at the SPA & Wellness Awards 2025, and the Marriott Como Lake Edition, named Best Spa 2026. Terme De Montel in Milan, the largest urban thermal park in Italy, also features 10 Myrtha spa pools.
Innovation remains central to the company’s DNA: from the Artemis home automation system for private pools to Myrtha Shark for public facilities, which optimizes filtration and disinfection in real time while reducing water and energy consumption. Some innovations also directly impact health, such as Myrtha Breathe, tested at Paris 2024 and now permanently installed at Boston University to improve indoor air quality for athletes and lifeguards.
In an industry often associated with high resource consumption, the company has made sustainability a strategic pillar.
The sustainable legacy program for temporary pools - dismantled after major events and reinstalled in new communities, as demonstrated in the case of Paris 2024 - is a model that combines performance with social responsibility.
This vision is reflected in both temporary and permanent projects. A clear example is the Parramatta Aquatic Centre in Sydney, awarded the IOC IAKS Architecture Prize in 2025, an international recognition for sustainable, accessible and innovative sports facilities. The same focus on reducing environmental impact also guided the Blue Mar Basins project at Celebration Key in the Bahamas, where a large lagoon for Carnival Cruise Line was built, using Myrtha’s self-supporting technology, on a compact soil base (just 5% cement), eliminating 14,000 square meters of traditional concrete slab.
Sixty-five years ago, an Italian engineer set out to build the best pools possible. Today, that vision has gone beyond expectations: the company operates in more than 70 countries, has hosted the world’s top swimmers, received international architecture awards and redefined what is possible in aquatic engineering.
More than 20,000 installations have now been completed. Over 190 world records have been set in Myrtha pools.
But for those who work in the company every day, the most important number remains one: the next.
