Eataly World Will Open This November

The much-anticipated FICO (Fabbrica Italiana Contadina) Eataly World in Bologna, Italy, is now slated to open this November.

The Italian food theme park will have all the components of an Eataly store but with even more to explore. The park is scheduled to house three dozen restaurants, a market, and many "multimedia experiences" involving food, farming, and craft. Admission will be free, and the park proposes to hire 3,000 people to work on their four acres of pastures, fields, and farms and the 2.5 acres of markets and bottegas.

The food-paradise will also have 10 classrooms and two miles of educational paths. According to the Eataly website, the park will also host "the Area of the Future, created by Carlo Ratti, director of MIT Senseable City Lab," and the FICO Foundation for Education and Food Sustainability, which will be led by longtime FICO luminary Professor Andrea Segrè. Part of the park's mission is to promote understanding of Italian food heritage along with agricultural strategies and sustainability projects.

Above all, the experience is designed for food lovers, particularly those interested in understanding food as more than simply eaters. FICO describes the park as "dedicated to the biodiversity of Italian cuisine with fields, workshops, markets, restaurants, and educational centers, all ready for you to explore."

Eataly's success in promoting Italian cuisine and agriculture has inspired not only a theme park but also some similar projects —José Andrés is opening a "Spanish Eataly" at New York's Hudson Yards.