Eataly Plans Italian Food Theme Park

words by Carol King Turin-based Italian food chain Eataly is planning to open a theme park in Bologna dedicated to Italian food. Eataly says the 861,112-square-foot park will be called ‘Eatalyworld’. Company founder and chief executive officer Oscar Farinetti describes the proposed park as “A Disneyworld of food. Farinetti is seeking to raise €50 million from investors by the end of 2013 to fund Eatalyworld, which he wants to open in November 2015 after the Milan Expo. The objective is to create a park that could attract as many as 10 million tourists annually. The Italian media reports that Eatalyworld would include 30 restaurants, 40 laboratories and 50 retail outlets, and that it would work closely with local universities. There are plans to have food stalls selling fruit, vegetables, nuts, honey, chocolate, coffee, pasta, wine, beer, grappa and handicrafts, alongside orchards, aquariums, libraries and even stables. Visitors would be able to see how produce created, for example roasting coffee beans, as well as buy produce. The park would create 1,500 jobs. Eataly was founded in 2007 and is sponsored by Slow Food. It sells pasta, grains, chocolate, sweets, olive oil, vinegar, meat, coffee, fruit, vegetables, cutlery and kitchen utensils. It has outlets in Italy, the USA and Japan.