An amusement park for taste buds!

Bologna / DPA

A group of Italians stares out onto a market from an office in Bologna where they are discussing plans for a new gourmet amusement park which only Italians could have dreamed up. Although much of the world is familiar with pizza and pasta only, Italians relish a rich-tasting array of meats, exotic vegetables, cheeses and sauces which they sincerely believe is the best food in the world.
Organizers want the theme park to be a celebration of food to inspire the pride of all Italians, young and old, and be built next year outside Bologna, a city in the country’s north. FICO Eataly World — the middle word is a play on “eat” and Italy pronounced in an Italian accent — will be aimed at all those who enjoy Cucina Italiana, Italian cuisine.
With a concept that includes restaurants, livestock, crops, classrooms and food stands, the planners aim to make this market a nirvana for gourmets, foodies and anyone devoted to Italian delicacies, from Parmesan cheese to Parma ham.
“My office is a trial run, a first taste,” says Tiziana Primori, chief planner, as she points out the room’s modern design, recycled elements and artificial grass, which will feature in the market.
Outside Bologna is where the real action will happen. On a large new site, cows will soon be grazing in a meadow, beside rooting pigs and fields of crops, as tourists sample the best prosciutto and mozzarella.
Now, however, the location is still walled by bare grey concrete, surrounding forklift trucks that shift pallets back and forth between scattered empty fruit boxes. Andrea Segre, a professor of agriculture at the University of Bologna and head of the new centre, had long toyed with the idea of creating a full amusement park with educational features out of the Bologna market.
He managed to convince businessman and Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti, who developed the final plan and is now honorary president of the park. “We aim to open by the end of 2016 or beginning of 2017 at the latest,” says spokeswoman Paola Minoliti, who stresses the project’s emphasis on sustainability, pointing to a large solar array on the roof.
The plan envisages an area of 80,000 square metres presenting Italy’s biodiversity. “It will be simultaneously a modern school, a fun day out for the family and provide education and information,” architect Thomas Bartoli says.
During the week there will be school classes to explain the workings of the Italian food business – a major money spinner for the Italian economy – showing how its famous products are made and allowing participants to taste the ingredients.
On the weekends, visitors, hopefully from all over the world, will be able to see how the delicacies are prepared – from the cow to the cheese. There will be restaurants for them to taste the produce and shops where they can buy Italian agricultural produce to take home. Eataly World will also host business meetings with the aim of providing tastings and promoting the export of Italian foods all over the world.
The Italian economy relies strongly on exports — and Italy is particularly known for its foods and drinks, with its main markets in these sectors being Germany, Britain and the United States. Food and beverages are the country’s second-biggest sector, following the machinery and metals sector. Close to half a million jobs depend on food and agriculture.
Farinetti has big plans for his Eataly World. “It will turn into our Disney World, drawing tourists from all over the world to learn about Italy’s cuisine,” he says. Bologna and major Italian companies in the food and beverages sector have invested around 110 million dollars, with some 2,000 companies involved in implementing the huge project.
These include the major supermarket chains, but also small local producers and start-ups.
The aim is to draw as many as 6 million visitors a year to Bologna, which has in the past trailed Florence and Milan in the tourist stakes. Mayor Virginio Merola is confident. “This project will change the face of Bologna completely.”