Italy in Miniature
Italy in miniature is an amusement park created by the idea and persistence of Ivo Rambaldi, owner of a plumbing company, in the second half of the sixties, he visited the miniature park on one of his frequent trips to view art and architecture. From that moment on, he strived to realize his idea: a park much better than the one he had visited during his trip abroad and with wonderful treasures of art and beauty of Italy. It was not easy to find the right material to create figures suitable for all weathers. The foamed resin realized these functions. With precision and perseverance, qualities that have always distinguished Ivo Rambaldi, he has visited, photographed and measured an infinite number of Italian architectural gems. The technology and manual labor of the employees he surrounded himself with allowed him to realize his dream – Italy in miniature was inaugurated on July 4, 1970. The first monument that has been reproduced is the Basilica of St. Apollinarius (Basilica di S. Apollinare), perhaps to recall the places where he was born and lived (in Ravenna). At the opening, the park was 20000 m2 and 50 miniatures were present. From the birth of the idea to its realization took 3 years of hard work and about 300 million lire.
MINIATURES.
Major Italian and European foam resin monuments in 1:25 to 1:50 scale are the main attraction of the park. The area in which they arise measures 85000 m2, where more than 10000 plants have been planted, many of them bonsai. In total, there are now 273 miniatures. A special space is dedicated to Venice and the Canal Grande with a 1:5 scale reconstruction. Also in the park there is a miniature of the bell tower of San Marco 20 meters high
ATTRACTIONS.
Luna Science Park, an area where children and adults, school children, families and friends can do some experiments in the field of physics, it is an amusement park dedicated to science and technology, in it directly test the laws of physics, mechanics, optics, electricity …. Here you will learn a lot of new fun thanks to two funny scientists – Professor Von Kaos and his assistant Otto, they are also the heroes of a book drawn as a comic book, which explains the mysteries of physics and costs 5 Euros in the pavilion.
There are water slides in canoes shaped like rafts on which you float down the river. The route is 500 meters long, each boat has 4 seats, children under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. The final descent is very steep and exciting;
Also Piazza Italia Laser & Music Show, an open-air movie theater, here are moving puppets that speak and interact with the audience as if they were real resulting in comical and unpredictable situations .
Arcobaleno Monorail: an electrically powered train, the first of its kind in Europe. Travels at an average altitude of 6 meters up to 15 km / h. A view of landscapes with miniatures that describes the “voice” that will take you from Monte Bianco to the Etna volcano, rising above the Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Peter’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and the Pisa Tower. St. Peter’s and many other beauties of Italy.
Children’s playgrounds, go-karts, exhibit pavilion, game room, simulator.
The Sling Shot consists of a central capsule with two seats inside a huge mechanical slingshot that launches two daredevils up to 55 meters in 1.2 seconds. Only those between 14 and 55 years of age, minimum height of 140 cm and weight of no more than 90 kg are allowed.
Pinocchio
On board the cars you will travel through the fairy tale of Pinocchio and meet various characters: crooks (Cat and Fox), a terrible ogre, a sweet Fairy … and also a whale fish. Entertainment is guaranteed for all.
Little Prehistoric Valley: with reproductions of prehistoric animals including Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Panoramic Tower: you will ascend on colorful balloons to a height of 10 meters and from there you will have a wonderful view of the panorama of the park.
Red Passion: in Italy a themed area dedicated to Ferrari has been created in miniature and since 2007 the new Ducati GT 1000 has also been added. All fans can visit the permanent exhibition of Filippo Di Mario’s work, where you can relive the most exciting racing moments of Michael Schumacher’s intense life through the images of this magnificent master of photography. For all the fans, there is a huge big screen TV for Formula-1, Moto GP and Superbike broadcasts. There are also unique outlets for official Ferrari, Ducati and Valentino Rossi merchandising.
Interactive Driving School, is a small car road for children aged 6 to 12 years old to teach them the rules of the road. A special virtual instructor (Genius Machine “Macchingegno”), all violations will be detected by sensors and the gruff voice of the genius will teach them how to behave properly behind the wheel. At the end there will be a special license with a photo and with the score.
In recent years in Italy in Miniature have been staged new attractions dedicated to entertainment, but without departing from the scheme of the theme of the park, such as Cannonacqua – siege on the castle (Castel Sismondo di Rimini – Castello di Sigismondo Malatesta), playing defense, or attacking it with blows of water, simulating the battles that once took place between Malatesta and Montefeltro.
Nature
Green in Italy in miniature has always been given a lot of importance: grass, flowers and more than 10,000 plants, make the frame of miniatures and service areas. A team of more than 10 people take care of the greens with experienced guidance from agricultural experts and given the small size of the space all work is done manually, not mechanically.
There are two types of plants in the park: conifers (pine, cypress, cedars and firs) and deciduous (oaks and poplars). Many flowers are planted: tulips, hyacinths, crocuses and daffodils. There are also many plants that are similar to bonsai. In fact, many of these plants are pruned in a special way, but nothing is done to the roots either, as is done with the bonsai technique. The plants in the park have their own label, just like in real botanical gardens. All this to help promote and preserve green and surrounding environments.
The park has kiosks, restaurants, picnic areas, and various stores. There are two parking lots outside the park.
Useful Information
Schedule and rates for 2019:
The park is open daily from March 18th through October 1st, 2019. Open on weekends during the winter.
The Park Italia in Miniature is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., from August 10 to August 30 it is open until 7:30 p.m..
2019 prices:
– Full price: € 23.00 (valid also for the next day)
– Winter price: € 11.00
– Abbreviated (height from 1 meter to 11 years): € 17.00 (valid also the next day)
– Reduced (over 65): € 17,00 (valid also for the next day)
– Children up to 1 meter high: Free of charge
– Persons with disabilities: free of charge or the price is reduced depending on the degree of disability
– Blind: free of charge (and an attendant comes in free of charge)
– Deaf adults: price reduced
– Deaf children under the age of 11: € 10,00.
– Groups: € 15,00
– Schools: € 10,00
