Collaboration:
Engineer Elio Schiavone

This initiative differs from those currently underway in Italy for its relationship with the surrounding environment, for the particular attention given to the guided route within the park, for its Research and Educational aspects and for the synergies with the Interdepartmental Research Centre of the Ravenna Campus of Bologna University. As already detailed in the Educational Project Attachments at the introduction, not only does the game park anticipate an educational role through observation of the various animal species, it goes on further to offer visitors the chance to come into close contact, possibly even operatively so, with nature.

Tailored to the creation of a recreational and sports area in response to the Standiana Game Park facility, the current project has brought the theme park to its conclusion. As it stands today, the existing Mirabilandia is thus upgraded with an integrative activity and, as it will be upon completion of the new "Le Dune del Delta" game park, a service aimed towards optimizing those synergies deriving from the presence of the largest entertainment park in the region and along the Adriatic Coast.

MOTIVATIONS AND APPROACH

Already in 1989 the area and urban planning of Ravenna town council forecast a Detailed Plan for the use of a former, poor-yield, farming area for an Urban Park where sporting, recreational and pastime activities already took place and would be further developed. A part of this revision materialized with the creation of "MIRABILANDIA" which has by now been known nationwide for fifteen years; as a corollary, owing to its powerful presence, the synergic drive for a similar activity characterized for its strong educational and research merit is only natural, i.e. a Game Park.

Consequently, dividing the existing Mirabilandia area and that of the game park denominated "le Dune del Delta", a SPORTS/COMMERCIAL AND SERVICES FACILITY complex, denominated the "Mirabilandia" service area, will serve as a filter for the two theme parks, offering of integrative services to both.

Due to the incrementing requirements over the experiential years of the "MIRABILANDIA" theme park, with a view to responding to more levels of reception levels a tourism service area is forecast, organized according to different necessities accrued over time. In particular, the following variables have been considered:

• "time of stay", viz. sojourn duration inasmuch as it concerns fruition of the neighboring parks (entertainment park, game park, sports facility, all encircling a rowing lake), which may vary daily or weekly, with all the intermediary possibilities;
• "heterogeneity of the service offer", viz. the opportunity to choose between a hotel with complete tourist hospitality characteristics (overnight stay, breakfast and restaurant service, complementary sporting activities) or an organized stay in mobile home vehicles owned by the tourists themselves (equipped parking for caravans etc., and partly a camping, living space equipped with the most modern facilities including added spaces and services) with the possibility to avail oneself of businesses, minimarkets, tourist information points, cash withdrawal points and security and control services.
• "service offer flexibility, seasonally and over time". It is especially important that such facilities offer genuine services over the full arc of the year, such as hospitality corresponding to sports events which fall out of the classical tourist season, or organization outside of the main centers of conventions and congresses, albeit with high service offer levels. The area could also sustain prolonged opening times or else linked to particular happenings in the two neighboring parks.
• "amplification effect". With a view to valorizing the natural heritage as it already exists the presence of hospitality concerns may lend fresh impulse to the amplification of services, especially in the organization of sports events on the rowing lake, high level events included, or even tourist cyclist gatherings and similar happenings. It is precisely with this in mind that the neighboring area at the south side of the Parco del Delta could begin to witness a specialized tourism which does not rely upon movement by "commuting" along the SS 16 Adriatica, but can instead take advantage of the closeness via alternative transport (bicycles as well as organized guided routes for trekking at the mouth of the Bevano River and in the pinewood).