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al pioppi

WATCH: Meet Bruno, the man who spent the last 40 years building his own theme park

A short documentary has been made about Bruno, a restaurant owner in Treviso, Italy. See it here.
10.30am, 19 Oct 2013
17.7k
6

A NEW DOCUMENTARY called Ai Pioppi tells the story of Bruno, an Italian restaurant owner who has built an entire amusement park by hand over the past 40 years.

Since first learning to weld in the 1960s, he has constructed an assortment of swings, slides, see-saws, and roller coasters in an ethereal clearing in the middle of the woods.

The amusement park, located near the northern Italy city of Treviso, is meant to bring in customers to Bruno’s family restaurant. The park’s distinct other-worldly feel has drawn plenty of visitors, becoming a tourist attraction in its own right.

WATCH: Meet Bruno, the man who spent the last 40 years building his own theme park
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  • Ai Pioppi

    Bruno is seen welding in his workshop.Source: Laia Abril/FABRICA 2013

  • Ai Pioppi

    Completed 40 years ago, the giant iron slide was the first ride Bruno completed. Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    Hand cranks power this swing set.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    Long ropes swing across the clearing.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    The cart flies down from the overhead trees.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    There's even a brightly-coloured merry-go-round.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    This ride is reminiscent of the Zipper you would typically see at a carnival.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    This Tilt-a-Whirl-inspired ride looks like it belongs to another time.Source: Laia Abril/FABRICA 2013

  • Ai Pioppi

    This is Bruno, the man behind the Ai Pioppi magic.Source: Laia Abril/FABRICA 2013

  • Ai Pioppi

    A roller coaster track disappears into the forest canopy. Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

  • Ai Pioppi

    Guests can jump to their heart's content on this handmade trampoline.Source: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

In the video, Bruno explains his creative process:

“A branch falls, a leaf floats down, a bird flies by, a stone rolls. And I say to myself, ‘Maybe I can use this movement.’ That’s how my ideas are born.”

The 11-minute documentary, written by Luiz Romero and released by Fabrica, shows Bruno welding in his workshop, explaining his process and offering his insights into life.

The video captures the magical feel of the place as it shows families zooming through the canopy on hand-built roller coasters.


Read: Gaddafi’s compound will be turned into an amusement park >

Look: The 38 best rollercoaster poses of all time >

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