Italy is known for its hot weather and the Friday didn’t disappoint. I was greeted by blazing sun as I stepped out from the hotel.

A short walk brought me to Fiabilandia. If Rimini is Italy’s version of Blackpool, Fiabilandia is Italy’s version of Blackpool Pleasure Beach (if it were family oriented). You arrive on the opposite side of the road to buy your ticket from a potentially long queue.

Il castello

With no time stress today, I thought to start off with the train that circles the park, partly for cred-hunting, partly for a relaxing sit down, and partly because trains (it wasn’t really faster than walking, and also uncomfortable, but why not).

The station near the entrance had a static steam train nearby, because apparently every European park has one.

Il treno

The best way to attack this park is by wandering into whichever attractions take your fancy. I strolled into something that turned out to be a Chinese themed walkthrough and maze. There were bamboo sticks and neon murals, finishing with a floor fan for some reason.

Certified: fab!

There’s a spinning wild mouse at Fiabilandia. The only note I made of this ride was “no.”

No

Fortunately, that’s by far the weakest thing at the park.

Now, has anyone wondered why the “Big Apple” style of kiddie coaster has become such a staple of theme parks? It seems oddly specific, but in 1976, Armando Tamagnini built a fab Pinfari coaster for Fiabilandia themed around a caterpillar coasting through some apples. It’s lengthy and full of scenery for the kids, and so fab!

The original Big Apple, Valle Degli Gnomi (Valley of the gnomes)

Off to chew through some apples, brb

There are corners of the park with little surprises. Nearby the spinning mouse is a large physical map of the world.

La mappa

The important part of the UK is Big Ben, because according to the IT Crowd, that is where the internet lives

I didn’t bother eating at the park, but I should have gone to the pizza place with the drunk gay chef

L’omosessuale

The Big Apple was pretty cool, but the real gem is the modern Pinfari at the back of the park, Miniero d’Oro del West.

The wooden support shrouding is a nice touch

During the ride, you’ll experience neon cacti, bears and native indian campgrounds, before a drop that is not particularly exciting. This singular ride sums up the park as a whole: quirky, on a budget, but far better than it should have any right to be. Rides that could be plonked down are given life and identity.

For instance, here’s an amazing merry-go-round

There’s a show nearby which started going while I was in the area. Italy’s version of the Wild West involved dancing, and murder, but lots of audience participation. They asked members of the audience to perform an entire short scene, which was a tedious. At the end, Mr Moustachio The Bad Guy threw a load of fake money at the audience for some reason

It was right next door to the mine train, so went straight back on after the show. Still fab!

There’s a Peter Pan walkthrough, with rope bridges and a pirate ship.

Back near the entrance was a boat-train ride. Lots of Chinese themed parasols, dragons and fountains

Om nom nom

So that’s Fiabilandia. Definitely worth a visit to fill up a couple of hours if you’re nearby for Mirabilandia. It’s got charm and lots of unique attractions.

At this point, my original plan was to pop into San Marino, which is a short bus ride from Rimini, but after the bus ticket vendor disappeared for a while, I decided I couldn’t be bothered.

One benefit of travelling by rail is I can hop out at any stations I happen to be passing through. With that said, here’s some photos of Bologna, which I took a very quick walk through while changing trains.

I have no idea what any of these buildings are or their history. I just took photos of interesting looking things

Wandering down the main street from the station to the centre of town

And on your left is… a building… that is old

Narrow Italian side streets are always pretty

More European churches

After an hour or so of quickfire sightseeing, I continued onwards to Verona (which I’d visit the next day) and then to Peschiera del Garda, my final destination.

Nice enough place

One place I have to recommend in Peschiera del Garda for lone travellers is the Meet Hostel. If you don’t mind sleeping in dorms and like meeting people on holiday, it’s dead cheap (€19 per night), it has friendly owners and they encourage socialising between guests. In the evening, the owner cooks a big bowl of pasta and offers as much as you want as long as you buy a drink at the bar (they sold G&Ts with generous amounts of G). My dorm also had a decent view of pretty Italian buildings from the balcony.

Next up, knockoff Disney at Movieland and more Italian culture in Verona.