Fico Eataly World: Italy’s answer to Disneyworld

“Do you feel Fico? (Cool)” This is the question posed at Fico Eataly World’s website. Trenitalia and Fico Eataly World (FEW) are partners in an enterprise that from November 15 will present to its visitors the marvels of the largest agro-food park in the world. The park, located in Bologna, Italy, is over 100,000 square meters and offers free entry. whose proportion is over 100thousand sq.mt. Fico is an acronym for Italian Farmer Factory.

The agreement foresees that Trenitalia will provide discounts and promos for Trenitalia customers visiting FEW. Seven shuttle bus services will connect Bologna Railway Station to the park through the Bologna historical center.

Trenitalia clients from all over Italy traveling via the new high-speed Frecciarossa 1000 train will also enjoy free transport to visit the park using the shuttle service.

This is “a synergy of two excellences,” said the group Fs (State Railways), Renato Mazzoncini, “to endure over time and generate benefits for the community and tourism. With this agreement, we strengthen the brand Italy, joining two of the country’s main strengths – agro-food excellence and rail transport.”

Founder of Eataly and creator of Fico, Oscar Farinetti, said: “We have the ambition to reach at least 6 million visitors within 3 years – half from the Italian market (especially young people and students) and 3 million from the Mediterranean basins – because we believe that Fico can become what Disneyworld has represented for Orlando and the US, which is a great attraction.

“We (Eataly-Fico) organizers of this vast park of 100,000 square feet, in the most beautiful country in the world, we do not want to be less [than Orlando].”

In detail, the deal provides discounts for Trenitalia customers who will visit the park, said Orazio Iacono, MD of Trenitalia: “The promo tariff allows travel to and from Bologna with a discount of 30% until mid-January 2018, compared to the base tariff of Frecce, Intercity, and Intercity Night. In addition, for school groups, we have expected a 20% reduction compared to the already competitive ‘School Group Italy’ tariff. Finally, Trenitalia customers will benefit from 10% and 20% discounts for guided tours, and other facilities are provided for the CartaFreccia members visiting the Bologna Eataly-Fico.”

A large-scale agreement will be articulated, as Tiziana Primori pointed out, to Fico Eataly World “also through promotional initiatives and meetings with foreign operators, such as the upcoming operational appointment of WTM in London where Fico will be present with a stand and where there will be a meeting organized with foreign operators to present this new attraction in the offer of Italy.”

The partnership initiated by Fico is strategic for traffic development, if one considers Trenitalia a network of 152 Frecce, 228 regional races, and 180 medium-long trains running through Bologna.

In the future of Eataly – apart from the opening in Los Angeles in two weeks (November 3) and new openings scheduled in 2018 in Stockholm, Las Vegas, and Toronto – is also confirmed the inauguration of an Eataly in October next year in Paris in partnership with Galerie Lafayette.

On the other hand, Farinetti joked on the landing on the assumption that the listing will be in Milan or New York by next year, where Eataly is now a very strong brand. But there is nothing certain, if not for the fact that the Farinetti family will continue to hold the majority, leaving a good 30% in the hands of others.

Oscar Farinetti’s latest dream, in fact, is not to distribute a third of the shares to banks, but in the hands of at least 10,000 Italian families.