Città della Domenica, Perugia

The Sunday City is a wildlife amusement park located in Perugia at Ferro di Cavallo. Opened on April 21, 1963, it was the first amusement park to open in Italy.

It was born on the initiative of Perugia entrepreneur Mario Spagnoli, son of Luisa Spagnoli, who in 1960 decided to transform the land he owned on Mount Pulito, on the outskirts of Perugia, into a family leisure park, a kind of ideal city that was initially to be named "Spagnolia."

Huge in size for the time, it spreads over several hills of Mount Pulito presenting, surrounded by dense Umbrian vegetation, fairy tale reconstructions, wildlife areas and small mechanical attractions for children.

In the 1960s it constituted a major novelty in the country, so much so that it earned the nickname Italian Disneyland. The reconstruction of Sleeping Beauty's castle and other buildings related to fairy tales, the construction of a path around a small lake to be traveled on board a small train, and the integration of the offer with a large panoramic restaurant, constituted in fact the first example of an Italian theme park.

Unlike other similar Italian and European facilities that arose during the same period, which subsequently increased the range of mechanical attractions on offer, the Umbrian park evolved by giving itself a didactic imprint, housing within it many species of animals in the wild and others kept in enclosures. The little white donkey later became the park's mascot with the name "Burro."

In the 1990s, a well-stocked and well-maintained reptile house with crocodiles and giant snakes was set up inside the Tower that stands in the area in front of the entrance.

In 2013, the 50th anniversary year, the park's management introduced a number of new features, updating the range of shows and animations: in addition to the animation on the Farm, a children's show was introduced in the Far West area, featuring a duel between a sheriff and a bandit, and a Falconry show that for a period also featured the flight of the Griffon Vulture, an animal symbolic of the city of Perugia.

On Sept. 29, 2013 during its 50th anniversary celebration, a historical exhibition on Città della Domenica was opened, which can be visited free of charge on opening days.

In 2014, at the Sleeping Beauty tower and castle, the Medieval area was built where events and performances are held on weekends.