FICO: THE WORLD’S LARGEST FOOD PARK IN BOLOGNA

The so-called “Disneyland of Food”, Italy’s first food park, is the largest in the world. FICO (Fabbrica Italiana Contadina) was curated by architect Thomas Bartoli of Eataly Design and opened its doors on November 15th. The first balance sheet shows a record turnout, with growth in its future considering that about 6 million guests are expected annually, and approximately 2 million of which come from abroad. A place for business and tourism, for the enhancement of Made in Italy and in particular of healthy food from the Bel Paese, FICO wants to be the biggest venue in the world to celebrate Italian cuisine, wine and food biodiversity. Promoting cultural, economic, social, environmental and food sustainability programs is one of the objectives of the Bologna park, which covers over 10 hectares of land, two of which are earmarked to hold over 200 animals in open-air pens and be fitted with eight covered shelters. FICO will have 40 farm factories for the responsible production of meats, cheeses, pasta, oil, sweets, beer etc. There are also 40 restaurants, six educational classrooms and six educational attractions for younger people to have fun and learn. Respect for the environment extends beyond the park itself: ecological buses will connect FICO from Bologna’s Central station, running regularly every 30 minutes until midnight.

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