Italian designer Gio Tirotto, in collaboration with the slow-living digital and cultural platform Vita lenta and the B Corp-certified seaside restaurant La Marinella, has introduced "La Lenta." Conceived as a direct antidote to the rise of defensive urban architecture, this innovative public bench aims to restore prolonged, comfortable seating and a sense of shared community hospitality to public spaces.
Scheduled for official installation in the spring of 2027, the seating piece will find its home along the picturesque waterfront of San Terenzo, a charming village in Lerici nestled within Liguria’s renowned Gulf of Poets. Realized in close cooperation with the Municipality of Lerici, the project is designed as an open-access civic amenity that invites residents and travelers alike to pause, linger, and engage with the stunning coastal landscape without architectural barriers or constraints.
La Lenta Elongates Typical Domestic Chair Proportions
At the heart of the design concept is a deliberate blurring of boundaries between private comfort and public utility. Gio Tirotto’s architectural approach merges domestic and civic typologies, structuring La Lenta formally as an elongated chair. By stretching the familiar lines of indoor furniture into a continuous bench format, the design successfully retains the refined proportions, visual warmth, and ergonomic detailing typically reserved for domestic interiors.
In stark contrast to contemporary trends in hostile urban architecture—which frequently utilize central armrests, divided seating modules, or steeply inclined planes specifically designed to discourage lingering or resting—La Lenta champions inclusivity and relaxation. The design completely eliminates these restrictive elements, engineering a piece that is equally suited for open-air public environments and residential interiors.
To withstand the rigorous demands of a marine environment, the bench’s structural frame is meticulously fabricated from marine-grade AISI 316 stainless steel. This high-performance material is paired with a carefully crafted seat and backrest constructed from okoumé plywood, which is further finished with a durable teak veneer. Together, these materials provide exceptional resistance against the corrosive effects of salt spray, constant weathering, and severe coastal storms, ensuring the furniture’s longevity along the Ligurian shore.
Adding a personal and artistic touch to the civic installation, a dedicated plaque features hand-drawn lettering created by artist Loris Lillo, who is also the designer behind the signature Vita lenta logo.
A Milestone for Vita Lenta and Future Public Installations
The San Terenzo project marks a significant milestone for Vita lenta as the very first physical object produced by the platform. Founded in 2020 by Gianvito Fanelli, Vita lenta initially established itself as a digital platform dedicated to the philosophy of slow living before steadily expanding its cultural footprint into publishing and music.
Beyond its immediate debut along the Gulf of Poets, the San Terenzo installation is envisioned as a foundational prototype for a broader, nationwide rollout of public benches across Italy. As the project moves toward its 2027 installation date, the creative team is actively seeking a suitable industrial partner to facilitate serial production, paving the way for more communities to benefit from thoughtful, human-centric urban furniture that champions the art of slowing down in public spaces.
