The Big Bench Community Project
Lisa Anderson | Lisa’s Dolce Italia
I am a wanderer and have been this way for as long as I can remember. I don’t need fancy destinations, although they are fun, too. The joy of exploring new places in good company is my idea of a good time: winding country roads where you come to a crossroads and take in the lay of the land before deciding which way to go, sometimes on a whim and sometimes with intent. The region of Piemonte in the northwest corner of Italy is the perfect place for a wanderer, and one of my favourite pastimes over the past few years is finding Big Benches.
The Big Bench Community Project was conceptualized and brought to life through the vision of Chris Bangle. An American car designer, he retired from a successful career at BMW and settled near Clavesana, Italy where he founded his own consulting company, Chris Bangle and Associates. Upon retirement, along with his wife Catherine, he founded the Big Bench Community Project with the aim of supporting local tourism, enterprise, and craftsmanship in the towns that host his benches. Since its inception in 2009, 140 big benches have been built. Most of the benches can be found in Piemonte, but there are also quite a few in Lombardy, Liguria, Tuscany, and Emilia Romagna. The 56th bench that was built is in Abroath, Scotland, and there are more benches planned for the UK, The Netherlands and Poland.
Imagine joining my family and I to search for the Big Benches for the first time: we decide to start with the Big Bench in Carrù, the seventh bench that was built. From where we live, it is the first town on our way into the Langhe (an area in the Cuneo province of the Piemonte region, well known for its cheeses, wine, and truffles) and my husband Mauro feels confident he knows where it it. There are no specific directions for the Big Benches, but simply coloured dots on the Google map. You will only find signs pointing you in the right direction when you are nearby.
Finding a bench is meant to be an act of discovery. The benches are all funded privately and must be put in a space with public access, even if it's on private property. They must also have a view that is panoramic and contemplative but not too distracting. They are built in the periphery of a space; the bench is not the centrepiece but made to facilitate the enjoyment of what surrounds you. Essentially, it’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by!
Filippo and Emanuele on the Big Gold Bench in Carrù
Image | Lisa Anderson
Placed with a view of the valley looking towards the Langhe, the Big Gold Bench in Carrù is at the edge of town and surrounded by multi-coloured mini-benches. We are sorry to see it is covered in graffiti but not surprised. As humans we all have a desire to leave our mark in some way, shape, or form, and this is hardly a new phenomenon.
There is always a step up to the Big Benches, but my eldest son Filippo, with his springy legs just runs, jumps, and twists in mid-air. He loves Parkour (a free-running sport mixed with martial arts disciplines) and is agile. He lands perfectly with his butt planted firmly on the bench. Being a bit less nimble, I climb up the step and still need to jump a bit, but backwards. My youngest son, Emanuele (eight years old at the time) pulled himself up like as if climbing out a swimming pool. Mauro is challenged by Filippo to jump and twist as he did. His first jump wasn't high enough; but not one to give up, he tried again. No problem!
A nearby baby bench
Image | Lisa Anderson
After sitting on the bench awhile to watch the world go by, it's time to explore Carrù with a short walk...don’t forget we are wandering! Emanuele wants to return to the bench before our mission to find more continues.The kids are hooked, so off we go to Clavesana to find the original Big Bench built in 2010 in Borgata Gorrea.
Clavesana is a place we visit a few times a year. If nothing else the Cantina di Clavesana is where we come the day after Easter on our annual house-wine run to fill a demijohn with Dolcetto or Barbera to be bottled at home. For my husband Mauro, this is a place of memories. His father was born here, and this is where he would come as a child to visit his great-aunt Dominica and other family members on rare days out with his parents. Clavesana is also where he came with his father to hunt the white truffles the area is known for. He has happy memories of hiking through the woods with his dad and their dog. Spending a day with our family in this place is a perfect way to honour Mauro's father’s memory.
To get there, we decide to park our car just off the highway in the piazza by the restaurant Lo Sbaranzo. The walk to the Big Bench leads us down a steep road through vineyards where the grapes have recently been harvested and we pluck off and eat a few bunches that were left, slightly shrivelled and extremely sweet. It takes around 15 minutes, and we find the most interesting apple along the way.
The good is gone!
Image | Lisa Anderson
This shell of an apple was just sitting on the road, and looking around, we realize it has been devoured by hornets. There is another apple nearby that they were busy eating. Pretty cool, but we don't hang around...an angry hornet can ruin anyone’s day.
When we arrive at the artist’s property, we see a sign for the Big Red Bench, but first we have to stop and look at the Triumphal Arch that still seems to be a work in progress. Emanuele thinks it looks like a pair of pants taking a walk...what do you think?
The “walking” triumphal arch
Image | Lisa Anderson
To get to the bench we must walk through an outside passage at the artists house and studio, some of which is still being renovated. The road takes us down and around into another vineyard. The view is stunning, and it's another walk down memory lane for Mauro. The ravine below us is exactly where he and his dad hunted truffles, up to the farm on the opposite side owned by his parents’ friends, the Gallos. My in-laws, Maria and Pino, would come here every fall to pick grapes for them, and this is where they would get their annual demijohn of wine.
A welcoming invitation to sit on the Big Red Bench
Image | Lisa Anderson
On the Big Red Bench, we find a bronze plaque with an inscription written in Piemontese translates to:
When you are tired and need to stop and breathe...
Sit here and…
you will become a child again.
This is the basic philosophy behind these benches. Sitting on an item we know so well is comforting, and its size makes us feel small again. Our perspective changes and it allows us to see the landscape through new eyes.
Just after midday our boys are getting hungry, so we decide to go find the next bench and eat our picnic. We hike up the hill and back to the car where our lunch is waiting. Had we been paying more attention on our earlier drive up the hill we would have known where to find the next bench. Instead, we head the wrong way down a dirt road into a vineyard. We know we are close but not on the right path, so we plunk ourselves down among the vines. Hunger will not help in our discovery, the clouds have lifted, and the sun is shining—it is the perfect spot for a picnic.
Recharged and ready to find the next bench, we climb back up the hill to our car. We don't have far to go as we see a blue fence a few minutes down the road next to Azienda Agricola Gallo Ivan Aldo. Their sign says they have been producing wine here since 1795. This is not the same Gallo family Maria and Pino knew, although they are probably related in some way. They host the Big Blue Bench and a five-minute walk through their vines gets us to our third bench of the day. We find a group of Italians trying to take a picture of themselves with their camera perched on a fence rail. I ask them if they would like us to snap a shot for them. Si, per favore!
In exchange, they take a picture of us, a precious thing for me since I rarely get family pictures. My husband generally hates having his picture taken but today he doesn't seem to mind.
A cherished family photo on the Big Blue Bench
Image | Lisa Anderson
The kids are getting restless and remind us they still have homework to do. They both have tests tomorrow. But it's such a lovely day, so we decide to find one more bench before making our way home. Our destination: Borgata Pallazetto. Once home to Mauro's great-aunt Dominica who passed away a few years ago well into her 90's, he showed us another one of his dad's favourite truffle hunting spots along the way.
On arriving at the Borgata, we find a sign pointing us in the right direction...700 meters down the road. One last walk before calling it a day, down a country lane, with fruit left unpicked on trees and littering the ground. Pomegranates, apples, pears, and quince—we wish it were ours to pick and hope that whoever it belongs to does not let it go to waste.
At the last Big Yellow Bench, we sit once again to contemplate our world. A field of hazelnut trees in front of us and the mountains we know are in the distance, obscured by clouds. There is rain on the way, but our world on this day looks pretty darn good from up here. I hope you enjoy the view!
Taking in the view from the Big Yellow Bench
Image | Lisa Anderson
The original article was written for my blog, Lisa’s Dolce Italia, in 2016.
Since writing the original article in 2016, I have continued to visit the Big Benches mentioned here and to find new ones when family and friends come to visit. If you are looking for a simple, low-key way to explore new places, I invite you to add bench finding to your itinerary. Who knows—you might want to build one too! I love the idea of finding these benches all over the world, and when you do, be sure to share a picture on our Guide Collective Travel Community page.
