Literary benches

Literary benches inspired by literary masterpieces

From London to Naples, we take you to discover the literary benches inspired by the great masterpieces of literature

Sit on "1984" by George Orwell or sunbathe on "The Bridget Jones Diary" by Helen Fielding: it happens in London where literary benches have become a must. What is it? Refreshment points scattered around the city, inspired by the great masterpieces of literature. There's something for all tastes, from romance novels to adventure novels, passing through detective stories.

The initiative, which kicked off in 2014, immediately achieved a great success. The aim is to bring citizens closer to literature and encourage them to discover the pleasure of spending a few hours on a good book. Among the benches created the one dedicated to "Around the world in 80 days" by Jules Vernes, but also "The Tales of Canterbury" by Geoffrey Chaucer. Then we find "James Bond" by Ian Flaming, "Great Hopes" by Charles Dickens and "The importance of being called Ernesto" by Oscar Wilde.

Not even Lewis Carroll with "Alice through the mirror", followed by two other classics like "Mary Poppins" by P.L.Travers and "Peter Pan" by J.M.Barrie. The creation of the benches has been entrusted to various artists of different nationalities, who have interpreted the timeless masterpieces of these writers. The result is artistic works in which to be enveloped by words and travel with imagination.

The initiative was a huge success, so much so that similar initiatives were launched, not just in Britain, but all over Europe. In Liverpool, at the Hillside school, the students created a bench dedicated to all the great masterpieces of Charles Dickens. In Basingstoke, another British town, some artists have chosen to pay homage to Jane Austen with the project "Sitting with Jane", which involves the creation of 25 book-shaped benches, inspired by the writer's many novels.

Even Italy, which has always been home to great writers and beloved by novelists all over the world, has decided to follow this trend. In Naples the artist's benches have been installed. The works of art are located in the Capodichino Airport and have the theme of the trip as their theme.