The idea of building a giant bench in Bianzone was born in the spring of 2020, during the period of isolation due to Covid-19, when many inhabitants rediscovered the pleasure of walking in the Curta, dwelling on the beauty of the local landscape.
The Big Bench Community Project is an initiative aimed at enhancing the area and offering a relaxing place to enjoy the landscape through the eyes of a child. The project was supported by volunteers from the’Association Futura Bianzone APS and their families, who took the time to clean and prepare the site, an uncultivated piece of land, once a vineyard, owned by Ms. Lucia Gosatti, which donated it on loan to the community free of charge. In his memory, a commemorative plaque with a sentence by Tiziano Terzani was affixed to the back of the bench.
Various actors involved
Futura volunteers involved local companies for the work, including Carpenteria Marchesi, Rainoldi Legnami, Colorificio Varisto, Ditta Pianto Fabrizio and Li & Sa. An Elitellina helicopter was required for transport. During the summer break, a children's book game was organised, “Walk, watch and discover - notes and games for little explorers”.”, was created by two teachers, Luciana Colombini and Luana Dorsa, with the collaboration of Martina Polinelli, who took care of the graphics and information plates. The book was sponsored by AVIS Tirano and printed by Il Giardino Grafico and Grafiche Morbegnesi.
Dual motivations
The purpose of the giant bench is twofold: offer a cosy place to relax and enjoy the panorama in a nature-friendly manner and promoting the riches of food and wine of the village. Some local sponsors, such as Locanda Altavilla, Agriturismo Antico Filare, Agriturismo Il Vecchio Torchio di Teglio and the Marcel Zanolari winery, offer tastings of their products. Also close to the bench is the Triacca brothers' Tenuta la Gatta.
Location
The giant Bianzone bench stands at the Low sauerkraut, a place of passage of well-known routes, first and foremost the Via dei Terrazzamenti and the Marian Way of the Alps and is a fixed stage of the well-known running race Valtellina Wine Trail. Several trails branch off from this location, connecting the place to the neighbouring municipalities of Teglio and Villa di Tirano at different heights and levels of difficulty. It is a popular area for locals and tourists who enjoy trekking, mountain biking, cyclocross and walking. Most of the roads leading to the site are unpaved and travelled on foot or by bicycle. However, there is one, the busiest and also accessible to cars and authorised agricultural vehicles, which is cemented over. This approximately 2 km stretch of road is travelled daily by many people for work (winegrowers and beekeepers) or simply for leisure. The people who travel it, once they reach the Cürta, stop to admire what is the hallmark of the village: the breathtaking view of the cultivated terraces. From the site one can admire the terraced vineyards, the apple and pear plantations and the cultivated fields at the bottom of the valley where the Adda river sinuously flows. The churches of San Siro and Madonna del Piano, part of the village and other villages such as Stazzona, Villa di Tirano and Tirano in the distance also stand out from view.
Curiosities
- Colour: The seat of the bench is a burgundy colour typical of the grapes that grow in the terraces of the Cürta, while the legs are olive green, the other crop that is gaining ground in the village and gradually replacing the apple plantations. Since it is the view that is the great attraction of the place, the colours chosen are not too bright, blending into the surroundings and making it difficult, if not impossible, to spot the bench from afar. This creates suspense and the desire to search.
- The stamp points: The stamping points for the Big Benches are businesses located near the benches, which sell the official project passport and affix a stamp with the name of the Big Bench visited. The sales and stamping activities in Bianzone are as follows:
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- Agriturismo “Antico filare” in Via Gianotti 1, open every day
- Locanda, hotel-restaurant “Altavilla” in Via Ai Monti 46, open every day except Monday
- Alex Bar in Via Palazzetta 6 open daily from 8 am to 8 pm
- Bar del Centro in Via Giuseppe Mazzini open Monday to Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- The ‘Walk, Watch, Discover’ playbook: Along the Cürta road, 16 signs with paw prints can be seen. On them are perforated stamps linked to a game book available free of charge from the municipality or from the Agriturismo Antico Filare, Locanda Altaville and Bar Alex, created to make the walk more fun. The game book contains information in the form of a game on the traditions, history of Bianzone and its nature.
