GARDALAND
The original idea of an amusement park on the shores of Lake Garda was conceived in the early 70s by Livio Furini, an entrepreneur from Verona who took inspiration from a visit to Disneyland in California. Thanks to his resourcefulness, a few years later, on 19 July 1975 to be precise, he found himself inaugurating the amusement park destined to become the number 1 destination for entertainment in Italy: Gardaland!
After the success of the early years, from 1984 onwards Gardaland considerably accelerated its growth path, which led it over the years to make its way into the list of the main amusement parks in the world, through the introduction of many new attractions, grandiose in size but also in scenic impact.
Having consolidated its position among the 'big ones' not only at a European but also global level, in 2005 Gardaland was listed by the prestigious Forbes magazine in fifth place among the best amusement parks in the world!
But the most important news of these years is undoubtedly the arrival, in 2004, of the fantastic Gardaland Hotel! Gardaland is therefore the first Italian amusement park to equip itself with its own themed hotel and to undertake the strategic path that leads it to become in a very short time the Fun Resort of Italy, a holiday destination where you can spend several days immersed in fun and fantasy!
2006 is a very important year: it is in this year, in fact, that the Company becomes part of the great family of the Merlin Entertainments group, which also includes many other big names in entertainment at a global level such as Madame Tussauds, the LEGOLAND® parks and the London Eye.
In 2008 another great noteworthy novelty arrives, which reinforces the concept of Gardaland as a Fun Resort: the Park and the Hotel are in fact joined by a brand new and fascinating entirely themed aquarium, the Gardaland SEA LIFE Aquarium - the first entirely themed aquarium in Italy!
To further enrich the offer, in 2016 Gardaland inaugurated the Gardaland Adventure Hotel, followed in 2019 by the Gardaland Magic Hotel, two entirely themed structures that allow their guests to experience the most epic adventures in distant worlds in the first case (wild west, arctic ice, mysterious jungle and Arabian atmospheres from the Arabian Nights) and a magical experience in an enchanted kingdom inhabited by wizards and magical creatures in the second case (here the themes proposed are the enchanted forest, the house of the Great Wizard, and the magical crystals of an ice castle).
The latest milestone in the growth of Gardaland Resort is the opening of the 1st LEGOLAND® Water Park in Europe: a new 15,000 square meter water park entirely themed for families that opened in 2021. Fun is guaranteed, you can immerse yourself in millions of LEGO® bricks, in a sea of interactive water games, play on the colorful slides and relax in the extraordinary entirely themed areas!
The new feature for 2022 will be “Jumanji the Adventure”, the first Jumanij® themed attraction in the world, a dark ride that will take Guests aboard some off-road vehicles among dangerous animals, obstacles of all kinds and a powerful stone giant to experience a race against time and save Jumanji.
From 1975 to today, many visitors have crossed the gates of what, as the approximately 200 permanent employees and 1,500 seasonal workers can confirm, is a “seriously fun” company, a true example of excellence in our country.