Italy's Water Parks: A Wet and Wild Way to Spend Your Summer Vacation

It's going to be a long, hot, summer so why not keep cool like many Italians do and spend some time in a Water-Park (or "Parco Acquatico")!

Water-parks have long since evolved from being the "next best thing' into being one of the most popular forms of year-round entertainment to be found in Italy. At last count, there were nearly 100 water-parks of various shapes and sizes spread across the country.

Probably the most popular water-park in all of Italy sits about 10 kilometers on the outskirts of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast. Mirabilandia (www.mirabilandia.it) started off as a small-scale amusement park with a waterslide and has evolved into one of the premier theme parks in Italy, rivaled only by Gardalandia in Verona. Mirabilandia has stayed true to its roots. Over the years, it has increased the size of its water-park to its current incarnation called Mirabilandia Beach. The "beach" offers six water attractions ranging from El Castillo (an artificial lagoon with wave machine to the dual tunnel-slides of Salto Tropicale. Mirabilandia Beach is open every day from 11am until 6pm through September 3rd. Mirabilandia is so huge that visitors can spend a day or several enjoying all its attractions. Check out the website for information on local hotels and accommodations.
Heading farther south near the coastal sea-resort of Pescara you can find a number of water-parks. Aquafan (Via Pistoia, 0541-603050 or www.Aquafan.it) is one of the best. A center-piece in the beach-resort town of Riccione. Open since 1991, Aquafan offers a variety of slides, pools and wave machines.and stays open through late September.

And as long as you're in Riccione why not pop into the SplashDown water-park (Viale G. D'Annunzio 150, 0541-643723 or www.Splashdown.it) also opened since the early 1990's. the Splashdown is a bit smaller than the nearby Aquafan but usually has less crowds

Jet over to the west coast in the city of Naples and you can splish-splash the day away at Magic World (www.magicworld.it) Magic World sits on the outskirts of Naples and opened a water-park about 6 years ago. And artificial lagoon with wave machine and 2 waterslides underscore the rest of the theme park. The theme park stays open until midnight; the water-park closes at 7pm.

As you head farther south towards Calabria, you'll find that most water-parks have been reduced to a waterslide and a swimming pool. Whether this is a result of economics or waning popularity is not for me to say. My take on it is that with so many miles of pristine beach and blue water to enjoy from sun-up until sunset, visitors put water-parks at the bottom of their priority list. Still, for families with small children, these small-scale parks may be a viable option.

For a complete list of what's available (or at least a look at the mnost popular locations) type "water park.italy into your search engine and then stand back.

Whether you come to Italy for a week or month or even longer, consider squeezing in an afternoon at a water-park into your busy schedule. Museums and old ruins are fine, but nothing beats a water-slide on a hot afternoon!