Gardaland

Listen for a moment before you walk in. A long mechanical rattle climbs somewhere above the trees. Then a pause. Then a wave of screams rises and fades, and the rattle starts again. Under your feet, the paths are warm from the sun, and the air smells of popcorn, sun cream and pine. This is Gardaland, on the eastern shore of Lake Garda in northern Italy, and those screams will follow you all day.

The park sits in the municipality of Castelnuovo del Garda, a short distance from the lakeside town of Peschiera. The location explains a great deal. Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, and for generations families from Italy, Germany and Austria have come here for summer holidays. Gardaland grew up beside that flow of visitors. Today it is widely described as the most visited amusement park in Italy, and on a summer afternoon you can easily believe it.

The story starts in 1975. That is the year the park first opened its gates. Its beginnings were modest by today's standards — a small collection of attractions on farmland near the lake. In those years, very few people in Italy thought of a theme park as a holiday destination in its own right. Over the following decades, the park expanded piece by piece, adding new themed areas, new rides and, eventually, hotels.

A major change came in the 2000s. The British company Merlin Entertainments took over the park, and it became part of a large international group. Merlin also runs the Legoland parks, the Sea Life aquariums and the Madame Tussauds wax museums. You can see that connection today. Gardaland is now the centre of a wider resort, which includes a Sea Life aquarium and themed hotels close to the main park.

Before you look at any ride, look for a green dragon. His name is Prezzemolo, which is the Italian word for parsley. He is the park's mascot, and for many Italian children he is as familiar as any cartoon character. The name has a playful meaning. In Italian, someone who is "like parsley" turns up everywhere. And that is the joke — you will find this dragon on signs, on souvenirs and, sometimes, walking through the crowd.

Now, back to that rattle above the trees. Gardaland is known for its roller coasters, and each one has a different personality. One of the best known is Blue Tornado, an inverted coaster. On this type of ride, the train hangs below the track, so your legs swing free in the air. Riders fly over the paths, past rooftops and through tight turns. From the ground, it is fun to watch the feet pass over your head.

Then there is Raptor. This is a wing coaster, which means the seats stick out on either side of the track, with nothing above or below the riders. The ride is designed to give the feeling of flying. It also plays a trick on its passengers. Several times, the train races towards an obstacle, and it seems certain to hit it... only to pass through a gap at the last moment.

The most dramatic of the big coasters is Oblivion: The Black Hole. This is a dive coaster. The train climbs, then stops at the edge of a vertical drop. And it waits there — for a few long seconds — with the riders looking straight down. Then it falls into a dark opening in the ground. Even if you never ride it, stand nearby and watch that pause. You can hear the crowd go silent.

But Gardaland is not only about speed. A large part of the park is built for younger children and for families who prefer something calmer. There are boat rides, slow dark rides, and gentle spinning attractions. There is also an area themed around Peppa Pig, the British cartoon pig, with small rides for very young visitors. Here is something many people miss: the theming in these areas is often as detailed as in the big rides. Look closely at the painted walls, the fake rocks and the little props along the queues.

Water plays a big role too. On a hot day in July or August, the water rides fill up quickly. Rafts spin through artificial rapids, and logs slide down chutes into wide splashes. Many visitors come prepared and carry a light poncho or a change of clothes. Others simply accept that they will get wet, and let the summer sun dry them as they walk to the next queue.

It is worth noticing the landscape around you. Unlike some theme parks built on flat, empty ground, Gardaland feels green. Tall trees shade many of the paths, and the rides often appear and disappear between the leaves. This is part of the experience. You hear a coaster long before you see it. On a clear day, from the higher points in the park, you may also catch a glimpse of the hills that circle Lake Garda.

The park also changes with the calendar. In autumn, around Halloween, it usually takes on a darker theme, with decorations and special events. In some years, there are also winter events with lights and a festive atmosphere. So the place you see today may look different from the place a friend visited in another season. If you return in a different month, you may notice that the same streets have a completely different mood.

Think for a moment about how much has changed since 1975. A few attractions on farmland became a resort with hotels, an aquarium and some of the most intense rides in Europe. And yet the basic idea is still simple. People come here to feel a little scared, a little silly, and very much awake. That simple idea has filled these paths with families for half a century.

So, before you move on, stop and look around. Notice the green dragon on the nearest sign. Watch a coaster train climb slowly into the sky, and count the seconds before it falls. Listen to the mix of languages in the queue next to you. And as you walk deeper into the park, follow the sound of the rattle above the trees. It will tell you where the next story begins.