It’s a good time to be a foodie.
First, Celebrity Cruises debuts its “Top Chef” cruises with cooking demos and top notch menus. And in 2015, foodies will have a their very own happiest place on earth when Eataly debuts its 20-acre “Disneyland of food” in Bologna, Italy.
But don’t mistake the upcoming theme park for another roller coaster-filled destination where the family will be forced to take the obligatory ride on the likes of “It’s a Small World After All.” Fico Eataly World is all about the Italian staples of good food and wine. The park will be pay homage to both with more than 100 restaurants, food courts, stores and food labs. Live trees will also offer visitors the chance to pick their own produce, and special hands-on spaces will be created to let kids play with their food.
There’s no definitive word yet if the park will actually include food-themed rides, too, but there will be an aquarium on site.
Oscar Farinatti, CEO of Eataly, expects the park to see about 10 million visitors per year to “play with this magical thing, Italian food,” according to PBS NewsHour. The park is also expected to create 5,000 new jobs.
The upcoming park is a joint venture between Eataly, an Italian food emporium chain with 26 locations around the world, and the city of Bologna, a fitting home for a foodie-themed park. After all, Bologna earns its reputation as Italy’s premiere dining destination having birthed Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, lasagna, balsamic vinegar and other staples of Italian cuisine.
(Main image: Edsel L used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
