Cinecittà World

Castel Romano, Italië

“Small, but decent movie-themed amusement park”

Germany has Movie Park, Dubai has Motiongate and Los Angeles has Universal Studios. Film-themed amusement parks… you love them or you hate them. If you belong to the lovers, a visit to Rome’s Cinecittà World may be on your to do list. Cinecittà is a world-renowned film studio and in 2014 they opened their own theme park on an old studio location. The park has received mixed to negative reviews since it opened, but I was still intrigued by some of the rides. That’s why we included a visit to Cinecittà World during our recent trip to Italy.

ROLLER COASTERS

Cinecittà World has a total of three coaster credits. The first one is Aktium, a Mack SuperSplash like Atlantica at Europa-Park. This Italian version doesn’t feature a backwards part, but it got an extra splash compared to its German sibling. Although we didn’t get wet at all (which was a bit of a shame under the scorching hot Italian sun) it’s a great family ride and the theming is quite impressive.

The park’s biggest thrill is Altair. This 10-Looper is nearly identical to Colossus at Thorpe Park, but this Italian version is a lot more comfortable thanks to newer trains and restraints. I always consider these coasters as fifty-fifty rides: the first half is awesome, but the second part is rather annoying. It’s cool to put ten inversions in one single roller coaster, but why on Earth should there be five inline twists at the end of the ride?! I’d enjoy Altair a lot more if the final brakes were placed after the second corkscrew…

Always save the best for last. The third and final coaster is Inferno and it’s simply awesome. This family coaster was built by Intamin and it contains everything a good coaster needs. It’s surprisingly intense, it has a good sense of speed and there’s even a drop track to spice things up. This isn’t the most intense or well-themed coaster on Earth, but it feels as if the designers did everything they possibly could with the available space. Dear people at MagicLand, this is what Cagliostro could have been.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Aside from the coasters, Cinecittà World offers a quite extensive variety of standard kiddie rides, a film museum, a heavily themed free fall tower and even a small-sized water park. Interestingly, this water park seems to be the most popular section of Cinecittà World today. Long lines can also be found at the recently opened Volarium, a Flying Theatre themed to Leonardo da Vinci. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the ride at all. The pre-show is utterly boring if you don’t speak Italian and the main show fails to impress. I prefer Disney’s Soarin’ and Voletarium at Europa-Park in every possible way.

WORTH A VISIT?

If you’re searching for the best film-themed park on Earth, there’s no need to travel to Italy. Cinecittà World isn’t on the same level as Universal or Disney and this won’t change any time soon. However, I did exit the park with a good feeling. The park may not offer a full-day experience, but the overall quality is good. Inferno is an amazing roller coaster, the park looks well kept and staff are generally very nice. If Cinecittà World keeps developing in the same way as it does right now, I’ll definitely come back in a few years.

PHOTO GALLERY

What’s your thought on Intamin’s classic 10-Looper? Do you count Aktium as a credit? And do you agree about the fact that Volarium sounds a bit too much like Voletarium? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.