There is a bench in Liguria that invites us to enjoy life Born from a collaboration between Vita lenta, Gio Tirotto and La Marinella, it will be installed in the Gulf of Poets to restore to public spaces the pleasure of pausing

To understand how truly welcoming a city is, sometimes all you need to do is look at its benches. In recent years, street furniture has become one of the tools used to regulate people's behaviour in public spaces. Tilted seats, dividers and uncomfortable surfaces are among the elements of so-called hostile architecture, a design approach that discourages people from lingering in certain places. In a context where even stopping to rest seems to have become a privilege, Vita lenta, designer Gio Tirotto and restaurant La Marinella have decided to start again from the simplest object in public space: a bench.

It is called la Lenta and is a project born in the Gulf of Poets, in San Terenzo, Liguria, from the coming together of three realities united by a shared reflection on the relationship between people, place and time. The idea is to restore the bench to its original purpose, transforming it into a place where people can sit, observe and meet without needing to buy anything or have a specific destination in mind.

The first installation is planned for spring 2027, facing the sea, in collaboration with the Municipality of Lerici. The bench will become a common good, accessible to anyone passing along that stretch of coastline. For Vita lenta, the project founded in 2020 by Gianvito Fanelli that has since grown into a book and a record, this represents its first real foray into the world of design.

The project is designed by Gio Tirotto, who envisioned an object halfway between a chair and a bench, capable of adapting to both public and domestic settings. Made from AISI 316 steel and okoumé wood veneered in teak, la Lenta is designed to withstand harsh weather and the marine environment. The lettering on the nameplate is the work of artist Loris Lillo.

The initiative also involves La Marinella, a seafront restaurant and certified B Corp benefit company, which has chosen to contribute to the creation of an object intended for the community. The Ligurian installation will be just the first chapter of a broader project. The goal is to bring la Lenta to other public spaces across Italy, through the involvement of new partners. A way of reminding us that design can improve everyday life even through a simple gesture: offering someone a place to stop and rest.