Give the Park of Pinocchio a chance; kids and fans of Pinocchio like it!

Il Parco di Pinocchio—overpriced, crumbling rip-off, or an iconic, enjoyable playground for kids and their families? The answer depends on one’s expectations and prior experiences with modern amusement parks.

Juniper in a giant oak.

Though Lucy and I have been coming regularly to Montecarlo—just 15 minutes away from Collodi—for nine years, we had never been to Pinocchio Park until today. Since the park receives mixed reviews on sites such as Tripadvisor, and we’ve not had grandchildren visit us here before, we had no compelling reason to try it. Many reviews say the park is old, run-down, understaffed and boring. But with four children here for almost two weeks, we decided to give the park the ultimate test. What would our American grandkids say after a three-hour visit?

 

Josie was able to mount the horizontal branches of the Quercione.

We were careful to give them some advance information. Don’t compare it to Disneyland, 6 Flags or other expensive amusement parks with fantastic rides. Think of it as a big playground and a tribute to the original story of Pinocchio. We also read them about half of Carlo Collodi’s book—not the Disney version (with more to be read in coming evenings)—knowing that this would be important for true appreciation of the park. On the way to the park, we first stopped by the Quercione. This is a giant oak near Collodi that the author had undoubtedly seen in his childhood and whom some believe he had in mind when writing the chapter about the assassins who hung Pinocchio from the branch of a tree.

 

Josie, Clara and Ferhan in the swinging aligator.

Clara finds the assassins: the fox and cat.

After visiting the park itself, Ferhan, 12, and Josie, 14, rated it four stars out of 5. Clara, 6, gave it a 10. “It was great,” she said. “I tried some new things.” Juniper, 2, said that she had fun playing but gave no numerical rating. Their mom, Sandy, said, “I’d give it a 2 if you compare it to Disneyworld without lines. But if you consider that the kids had a great time and it was an Italian cultural experience, I’d rate it much higher. What you compare it to makes all the difference.” One should also consider that the entrance fees, at least during the low season (13 euros for adults, 7 euros for a child), come nowhere near the typical $100-plus for a Disney park.

Junie meets the blue fairy.

It has a few small rides, but since we went in February, they weren’t open. It had some old-fashioned interactive games: a giant chess board and a game where you spin a dial and move players ahead on a trail—with the game pieces being the children themselves. There was a swinging alligator and small zip line, and a maze which the older children and I raced through, with Ferhan winning each time. He named this as one of his favorite parts of the park, while Clara said it was her least favorite. “My brother knocked me over,” she said. “That was cheating!”

Beautiful art taken from descriptions
in the book.

Josie especially liked the Pinocchio trail, where one could see many of the characters and settings from the book, including a giant spouting dogfish (or whale) that the kids could enter and climb to the top on a spiral staircase. There had been a puppet show and some other activities earlier in the day, but we came too late to participate in them.

Money that does grow on trees, which Pinocchio had hoped for.

Clara takes off on the zip line . . .

The last activity, a 10-station ropes course, including a zip line that crossed the small but rushing Collodi stream, was perhaps the best, even though only Clara participated in it. The course was ideal for a bold 6-year-old like Clara to prove her agility and courage, but perhaps too simple for her older brother and sister. We all watched Clara sail through every station with confidence and aplomb. A few kids needed help or turned back, but most completed the course. We were surprised that no adult supervision was provided along the way unless a child called for help or hesitated too long in one place, but we appreciated the informality of the Italian way of doing things.

. . . and crosses the rushing Collodi.

It’s true the park is old and lacking in modern technology, but we appreciated it as a kid-friendly playground that requires participants to stroll, play, imagine and interact with each other rather than be entertained by computer screens, flashing lights, special effects and high velocity rides. With a modicum of preparation, realistic expectations and an old-fashioned spirit of adventure, Il Parco Pinocchio can be a great choice for family fun.