PARKLIFE
Parklife
Transformation continues at
MinitaliaLeolandia
Zamperla’s involvement creates ‘shop window’ for manufacturer
Retaining the Minitalia name, the addition of the
SITUATED on the northern outskirtsof Milan near the town of Bergamo, MinitaliaLeolandia began life as simply Minitalia, first opening in 1971 as a collection of miniature replicas of some of Italy’s most well-known landmarks and buildings.
Since that time the park has had something of a
chequered history. Having enjoyed a successful first few years, the opening of Gardaland in 1975, just one and a half hours away, as a major amusement/theme park hit Minitalia and visitor numbers subsequently began to decline. However, it continued in its initial guise until 1990 when a new owner took over, renamed it Fantasy World Minitalia and added a number of amusement rides, along with an aquarium, a reptile house and a farm area. The new investment revitalised the venue and visitor numbers rose to a peak of around 800,000 before another period of decline during the early 2000s saw the eventual sale of the property to the present owners, the Thorus Leolandia Group. In 2007, however, the group was joined by Italian ride
manufacturer Zamperla which at that time took a 30 per cent stake in the operations company of the park and became its operator. And since then things have changed dramatically, with the addition of numerous new rides and attractions from the Zamperla stable, a change of management and a new impetus throughout the staff and the running of the park.
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Leolandia element was made by Zamperla for the start of the 2008 season and is a tribute to Italy’s famous artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, four rides introduced in the past two years, including the Bici da Vinci (Magic Bikes) and the Leo Coaster (a family coaster) are themed in Leonardian style, while a dedicated exhibition featuring some of his work is housed beneath the Leo Arena. And for the future it is planned to create a large new area within the park themed as a 14th
. century village, similar in style to that
in which da Vinci would have lived. With the addition of “Leolandia” to the park’s name,
a new logo and mascot were also introduced and the 22 hectare site continues to enjoy on-going investment under the expert eyes of Alberto Zamperla and the park’s management team, headed by general manager Andrea Caldonazzi. The park operates each year from March to October and
employs a staff of around 120 during the peak season. Visitor numbers in 2008 were 280,000 while in 2009 this rose to 360,000. The target market is families with children under 12, along with school and summer camps, which has always been the case, although the offer has increased hugely during the last two years to better match the target market’s needs and expectations. The average length of stay is six hours.
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