The world’s longest bench is located in Milan’s Portello district: it measures 208 meters and 1,800 wooden slats, 25,000 screws and 500 iron legs were used to make it.The birth of the world’s longest bench is thanks to Pacchiarini, a company from Onore in the province of Bergamo that specializes in street furniture.The design phase of the record-breaking bench, which stands in one of Milan’s most beautiful parks, was very challenging: several types of prototypes were prepared before obtaining the optimal result, especially since the conference along which the bench is developed does not have the same radius at all points.No doubt about the choice of materials: wood prevailed over other options because of its thermal properties. Using aluminum, iron or plastic, the bench would have been freezing during the winter and scorching in the summer. Also contributing to the choice of wood was the air pollution that corrodes various materials.The wood used is Douglas fir, which stands out for its pliability.A true architectural masterpiece, the world’s longest bench is located in the Alfa Romeo Industry Park also known as Portello. The green area is located within Milan’s residential neighborhood of the same name in a disused area of the Alfa Romeo factories of the 1980s. Portello Park was opened in the second half of 2011 and boasts an area of 65,000 square meters.
