Citta della Domenica, Perugia

The Città della Domenica is a wildlife amusement park located in Perugia in Ferro di Cavallo (2 km from the center). Inaugurated on 21 April 1963 , it was the first amusement park to open in Italy .

It was born on the initiative of the Perugian entrepreneur Mario Spagnoli ( 1900 - 1977 ), son of Luisa Spagnoli , who in 1960 decided to transform his land on Mount Pulito , on the outskirts of Perugia, into a park for the leisure of families, a sort of ideal city which initially had to take the name of "Spagnolia".

Huge in size for the time, it spread over several hills of Monte Pulito presenting, immersed in the dense Umbrian vegetation, fairytale reconstructions, wildlife areas and small mechanical attractions for children.

In the sixties it was a big novelty on the national territory, so much so that it earned the nickname of Italian Disneyland . The reconstruction of the Sleeping Beauty castle and other buildings connected to fairy tales , the construction of a path around a pond to be traveled on board a train and the integration of the offer with a large panoramic restaurant, constituted the first example. of Italian theme park.

Unlike other similar Italian and European structures that arose in the same period, which subsequently increased the offer of mechanical attractions, the Umbrian park has evolved giving itself an educational imprint, hosting many species of animals in the wild (such as fallow deer , mouflons and peacocks ) and others kept in fences (such as bison and the so-called white Asinara donkey - Equus asinus var. albina - which the park has contributed to revive, thanks to a project conducted in the 1980s in collaboration with the ' University of Perugia). The white donkey then became the park's mascot with the name of "Burro".

In the nineties a well-stocked and well-kept reptile house was built, with crocodiles and giant snakes, set up inside the Tower that stands in the area in front of the entrance.

In 2013 , the year of the fiftieth anniversary, the park management introduced a series of innovations, updating the offer of shows and animations: in addition to the animation in the Farm, a show for children was introduced in the Far West area, with duel between sheriff and bandit and a Falconry show which for a period also featured the flight of the Griffon, animal symbol of the city of Perugia .

On 29 September 2013, during the celebrations for its fiftieth anniversary, a historical exhibition on Città della Domenica was inaugurated, which can be visited for free on opening days.

In 2014, in correspondence with the tower and the castle of Sleeping Beauty, the Medieval area was created where events and shows are held at the weekend.