Theme Park Proposed for Venice

Many people refer to Venice as a theme park, a mummified city that exists to serve the millions of tourists that arrive by plane, bus or boat every year. So the announcement of a proposed amusement park on the landfill San Briogio Island in Venice by Zamprela is an odd thing. While the location—west of Guidecca and south of the cruise-ship port—puts the proposed park at quite a remove from the Piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal, and other tourist sites, the jarring juxtaposition of a ferris wheel, a roller coaster and other rides with the historical context of Venice is drawing criticism.

Regardless, the promise from Alberto Zamprela, the Italian company's president, of remediating the abandoned island (it used to house an incinerator) and creating 500 jobs makes the project a more appealing to locals than Pierre Cardin's mainland tower that was axed earlier this year. Plans for the €80 million ($100 million) amusement park are pending government approval.