Ahh, Italy! The land of magnificent food and wine galore has added a huge reason to bring your taste buds there, ASAP!  FICO Eataly World opened on November 15, 2017 in Bologna, Italy. It’s a food-themed park for foodies of all ages from people behind the Eataly franchise and admission is free!  

If you’re unfamiliar with the name, Eataly is a brand of Italian food halls and marketplaces with locations all over the globe. Each one packed with restaurants, food and beverage kiosks, cooking classes, and bakeries. But Eataly World is unlike the rest of the Eataly iterations. It’s a massive and unique theme park that’s set to be the Disney World for lovers of Italian cuisine.

Curious yet about how you’re going to try it all? We advise you to plan a second trip!

Breaking Records

FICO (Fabbrica Italiana Contadina – Italian Farming Factory) Eataly World is the world’s first Italian food theme park and it’s already broken records. This park has 6 educational “rides” about (what else) Italian food. But what’s most important is that most of the 20-acre complex is farmland, including over 200 animals and 2,000 different crops, making it the largest agri-food farm in the world! Eataly World is also dedicated to being eco-friendly. It’s powered by 44,000 solar panels, which is Europe’s largest solar energy system yet! The complex cost a whopping $106 million to build and is predicted to reel in 6 million visitors annually.

Witness Food in the Making

Here’s a fun fact: FICO Eataly World is the only place in the world where you can experience the entire food production chain. There’s 40 farming factories and consortiums here where you can watch raw materials turn into pure deliciousness…and by raw materials we’re mainly talking about wheat and grains becoming bread and PASTA (the most important)! Class prices to witness such culinary transformation vary depending on which out of the 50 offered daily you choose to take.

One of the coolest features offered are the 500 Bianchi tricycles for customers to ride around the grounds on while shopping and eating.

Mangia!

Now that you’ve got the scoop on the new Eataly World, were ready to chow down! As you walk through you’ll notice a number of trattorias, street food kiosks, restaurants, and bistros.

There’s something for everyone to enjoy from pizza, to Italian meats, gelato, and of course cheese. The food is all made fresh from “field to fork” thanks to the forty producing factories. Experience fine dining, explore different tastes of Italy’s many regions, and sip on Lavazza espresso, all in one complex. 

Have you ever been to one of the many Eataly locations around the world? If so, tell us about it in the comments below!