The balance of four years of activity
In four years, some food companies have given up and left, others have entered. The budget is essentially balanced. And many big names are still there. Like the Emilian milk giant Granarolo, the consortia of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, Molino Grassi di Parma (flour and semolina). Then the consortium of Mortadella di Bologna, the historic Sicilian pastry shop Palazzolo, Fontanafredda (wines), Carpigiani (ice cream machines and equipment). In all, about sixty companies have believed in the new industrial plan, approved last year.
And this is how Fico – 100 thousand square meters of covered surface – tries to go up the slope, carving out the profile of a experience park. A real Disneyland designed for consumers of all ages, divided into seven thematic areas, scenically built around the dominant theme of food. The entrance is designed as a kind of mini farm, with animals – horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens – partly enclosed in fences, partly free. We then move on to the area of cured meats and cheeses, to that of pasta, to the section dedicated to games and fun, to that of wine, oil and sweets. In the outdoor areas – about another 100,000 square meters – there is an orchard, an olive grove and a vineyard.
Thirteen mini factories for food excellence
There remain 13 mini factories designed to explain to visitors the productions of some of the Italian food excellences, also through multimedia shows. As well as the farms of barn and barnyard animals. The initial hypothesis envisaged an influx of 1.8 million tourists, including Italians and foreigners. To which were added the school groups (in this case the results were more than satisfactory) and the segment made up of congressmen who could use the convention center inside the park, the largest in the region after that of BolognaFiere, with a thousand seats.
In any case, the new formula starts from a promising basis: according to a research by Nomisma, Fico in the three years of activity before the pandemic generated 11% of the tourist flows of the Emilian capital (48% Italians, 52% foreigners) guaranteeing a induced income of 30 million per year. Now the entrance ticket should also allow to intercept important shares of organized tourism, with ad hoc packages.