On the southern slopes of the Ghiaie valley, in the heart of the Oltrepò Pavese wine country, one of the most photographed and beloved landmarks in the province of Pavia awaits visitors: the Travaglino Big Bench of Calvignano. Red as the passion that binds its creators to the land that hosts it, this oversized installation is part of the Big Bench Community Project and offers one of the most evocative panoramic viewpoints in the entire region — a sweeping vista over vineyards, woodlands and rolling hills.

 

Where to Find the Travaglino Big Bench

The Travaglino Big Bench is located in the Pagliarolo area of Calvignano (PV), along the road connecting the village centre to Montalto Pavese. The setting is perfectly chosen: from this vantage point, the eye roams freely over the vineyards and forests that blanket the surrounding hillsides, in a landscape that shifts its colours with every season — from the bright green of spring to the golden hues of autumn harvest.

Calvignano is a small municipality in the Oltrepò Pavese, nestled among hills where winemaking has been a centuries-old tradition and the horizon is always shaped by orderly vine rows. The bench fits naturally into this context as a privileged spot for quiet contemplation, reachable on foot or by bicycle along the trails that wind through the Ghiaie valley.

 

The Red Giant Bench: a Symbol of Passion for the Land

The choice of red for the Travaglino Big Bench is far from random. Red like the wine born on these hills, red like the deep-rooted passion that Tenuta Travaglino has cultivated for generations toward this corner of Lombardy. The bench was created specifically to let visitors enjoy a stunning view of the surrounding vineyards and forests, giving anyone who sits down the feeling of being an intimate part of an authentic, unspoiled landscape.

The unusual scale — a bench designed for giants — forces the visitor to slow down, to adopt a different perspective on the world, to look at the landscape with fresh eyes. This is the core spirit of the Big Bench Community Project: transforming a simple act, sitting on a bench, into a memorable and transformative experience.

 

The Big Bench Community Project: Giant Benches for Local Communities

The Big Bench Community Project (BBCP) was born from the vision of American designer Chris Bangle, who installed the first Giant Benches on the hills of the Alta Langa in Piedmont. Those oversized installations quickly became iconic landmarks, capable of drawing meaningful tourist flows to villages and landscapes that risked remaining in the shadows.

From that original idea grew an initiative that has now spread internationally. The Big Bench Community Project supports local communities, promotes sustainable tourism and highlights the artisanal and productive excellence of the places where the benches are installed. Each bench tells a story, carries the colours of a territory and becomes a meeting point between visitor and community.

The Travaglino Big Bench is proof of how successfully this project has taken root in the Oltrepò Pavese — a territory rich in extraordinary landscapes that are still too little known to mainstream tourism. Sitting on this red bench means embracing a story of wine, land and deep roots.

 

The Giant Bench Passport: Stamps and Collection

One of the most popular activities among Big Bench Community Project visitors is collecting stamps in the Giant Bench Passport. Each bench has its own unique stamp, to be pressed into a dedicated passport booklet that becomes a travel diary for those exploring the installations scattered across Italy and the world.

For the Travaglino Big Bench in Calvignano, stamps and passports are available at Tenuta Travaglino, the estate that is also the beating heart behind this installation.

 

Where to Collect Stamps and Passports

Tenuta Travaglino

Address: Località Travaglino, 6 — 27040 Calvignano (PV)

Phone: +39 0383 872222

Opening hours: Open daily, 8:00 AM–12:00 PM and 2:00–5:00 PM

 

How to Reach the Travaglino Big Bench

The bench is reached by starting from the centre of Calvignano and following the road towards Montalto Pavese as far as the Pagliarolo locality. The route is suitable for cyclists too, making it easy to combine a visit to the bench with a broader ride through the Oltrepò Pavese hills. Those arriving by car will find parking nearby before walking to the viewpoint.

The area lends itself well to combined itineraries: a visit to the Travaglino Big Bench can be paired with a wine tasting at Tenuta Travaglino, where decades of winemaking narrate the enological identity of this part of the Oltrepò.

 

Oltrepò Pavese as Seen from the Bench: a Landscape Worth Discovering

Sitting on the Travaglino Big Bench means immersing yourself visually in one of Lombardy's most beautiful viticultural landscapes. The Ghiaie valley, with its vine-covered slopes and patches of woodland, offers a scene of rare beauty in every season. In spring the vines awaken and a tender green spreads across the hills; in summer the foliage is lush and the grape clusters begin to form; in autumn the harvest animates the hillsides and the leaves turn red, orange and gold — the same colours as the bench itself.

This corner of the Oltrepò, less frequented than more famous destinations, rewards the attentive visitor with precious silence, clean air and the authentic feeling of a territory still living in harmony with its own natural rhythms.

 

Practical Information

Municipality: Calvignano (PV)

Location: Pagliarolo, along the Calvignano–Montalto Pavese road

Hillside: Southern slope of the Ghiaie valley

Bench colour: Red

Project: Big Bench Community Project

Stamps & passports: Tenuta Travaglino — Loc. Travaglino, 6, Calvignano | Tel. +39 0383 872222 | Open daily 8:00 AM–12:00 PM, 2:00–5:00 PM

PHOTO: TENUTA TRAVAGLINO