Hidden In A Forest Is Italy's Electricity-Free Handmade Amusement Park Loved By Thrill Seekers

There are so many reasons to love visiting Italy besides the food and the wine. Clearly, the country is amazing for foodies, but there are also many unique experiences to enjoy depending on your destination. In fact, you can make a whole trip by skipping the overrated tourist traps in Italy altogether in favor of something a little off the beaten path. How about a few thrills with your meal? No, we're not talking about visiting a haunted mansion. By traveling a little further away from a particularly popular Italian city, you and the entire family can enjoy a meal with a side of some fun rides at a handmade, electricity-free amusement park called Ai Pioppi.

Ai Pioppi, or Osteria Ai Pioppi as it is sometimes called, is located in Nervesa della Battaglia in the province of Treviso (north of Venice). The park opened in 1969 thanks to owner Bruno Ferrin, who began at first by just opening a Frasca (a sort of open-air restaurant or meeting place for locals). After the restaurant took off, Ferrin started building a playground on the land around it, including swings, slides, and even a merry-go-round and a roller coaster. While the rides aren't as complex as some other highly rated theme parks in Europe, visitors have plenty of thrills, and the rides surprisingly operate without any electric motors. Today, Ai Piopi has 45 rides sprawled over 30,000 square meters.

Unlike other amusement parks, Ai Pioppi is free to enter as long as you purchase something from the restaurant, which definitely makes it a great experience if you're trying to explore Italy on a tight budget. But since the restaurant is in the middle of a forest, you should expect to get a humble (but delicious) meal. Ai Pioppi sells beer, wine, and soft drinks, and the menu offers some amusement park-friendly food items like chicken wings, ribs, french fries, burgers, and deli sandwiches. Most meals come with polenta, and you can also get some interesting items like snails and mushrooms or codfish as a main dish. And, of course, you can round out your meal with a dessert like cake, tiramisu, a refreshing granita, ice cream, and more. They even have sgroppino, an Italian lemon sorbet made with vodka and prosecco.

Visitors can come to the cashier and grab a ticket to hold their place for ordering. There is a screen that shows whose number is being called, so you can easily come, grab a ticket, and visit the park while you wait for your number. When it does, simply go back to the cashier, place your food, and expect a meal to be served fairly quickly. When you're done, you can clear your table and continue to enjoy the park if you wish. The park is open as long as the restaurant is, usually from about noon until the evening. It's best to check the Ai Pioppi website or contact the restaurant to get the most accurate hours.