Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely handmade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create. Osteria ai Pioppi, the human-powered, giant theme park playground, is found in the municipality of Nervesa Della Battaglia, just north of Venice.
The park began as a hobby meant to promote a small restaurant, and evolved over 40 years of creation into a beautiful home-brewed amusement park full of unique rides all built by one man: Bruno.
Similar to the rides it would later spur, the restaurant, Ai Pioppi started on a whim. Bruno, the restaurant owner and amusement park creator, simply set up a makeshift food and wine stand beneath a tree to see if people would stop by. By the end of the day, he sold almost all of the goods, and so Ai Pioppi begun.
Despite lacking formal engineering or construction training, Bruno designed and built complex rides with more and more moving parts, all without power for about 40 years. Osteria ai Pioppi is now a sprawling complex of nearly 50 rides powered by hand with pulleys, bicycle cranks and gravity — a major destination for locals and tourists.
The theme park is often referred to as an ecological park, as movements or patterns found in nature inspire Bruno. From a tumbling, swinging bridge to giant merry-go-rounds, the collection of dreamt up amusement rides can be found in northern Italy.
Patrons can visit the manually powered rides for free.
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