Panchina Gigante 73 - Pilzone

without a doubt the most rewarding and best big bench I’ve been to (and I’ve been to at least 5). this is the only one with a significant hike and let me say it’s worth every step up that rickety rocky and potentially even slippery path. the view of lake iseo is stunning. I did this hike twice, in february of this year and then later in may. in feb it was maybe not ideal as it was too foggy to really embrace the view but still a nice hike for a winters day. in may it was better but unfortunately it bucketed (and I mean bucketed like the path was flooding) on the way down. no matter though; despite both experiences being ‘seemingly’ dulled, I still thoroughly enjoyed the walk and the experience. i’ll be back! also the guestbook is a nice touch. the site is maintained very well with water at the top (for a donation) and sticks to use as hiking poles for the way down if you didn’t bring your own. the first two photos are from february: beautiful albeit foggy and then the latter are from may

Take your time, wear sensible shoes and bring plenty of water. The view is totally worth it.

Beautiful. Best to climb when it's not raining or snowing.

The climb requires a little effort. It was a very pleasant surprise that water bottles were offered at the top of the path for a price of a donation. There's a wood stem on the side to help one climb the bench. There was even a stand in front of one's camera/phone and do a remote selfie. Maybe just missing a fabric tent to give some shade from the sun 🌞

Very steep climb. Don't start the trail too late. Beautiful and definitely worth the effort.

Amazing view. Prepare your legs to climb, it will be worth it. Did not get the stamp, the place for this purpose was closed.... :(

From Pilzone about 1,5km uphill on partially steep but not muddy paths, the view is very beautiful and definitely worth a visit. The bench is quite comfortable so you might want to stay a while.

It seems this bench is pretty popular on a Sunday. We've been up before on a weekday when it was quieter. It was definitely easier the second time and the view was just as incredible. It's worth taking a couple of euros or some change up so you can make a donation and help yourself to water. If you keep going up you'll reach Punto Dell Orto which is about the same climb again - but the terrain is a bit more challenging and we definitely didn't want to go back down to the big bench the same way we went up towards PDO as there had been some rain the day before, and the path to PDO was much more slippery than the path to the big bench You can loop back down to Pilzone or go up another 100m or so and go across to Sulzano or Sale Marasino. All great walks.