Italy's oldest amusement park reopens after years of closure.

The Luneur fun park in Rome's southern EUR suburb reopened on 27 October, in time for Halloween children's activities, after being closed to the public for the last eight years.

The reopening of Luneur, which is Italy’s oldest amusement park, follows a €21 million investment by Cinecittà Entertainment. The group hopes to attract 700,000 annual visitors and says its target is children aged between zero and 12. The entry fee is €2.50, payable in person or online, and there is no charge for babies under one year of age.

The are 25 attractions at the rejuvenated seven-hectare park, including the original 23m-high ferris wheel, the Brucomela roller coaster, carousel horses and teacups, as well as new attractions such as the bamboo tunnel, the maze, the giant swing and the Wizard of Oz-style farm.

From 5 November children can visit Santa Claus at the park which two days later will open the Christmas Village with 50 stalls. The Luneur lake will house an ice rink from 17 November until 9 January before reopening in the spring with water games. Organisers also promise educational and animation workshops, English lessons and crèche facilities.

Designed as a temporary feature to coincide with an agricultural fair in 1953, the park became a permanent fixture due to its unexpected level of popularity, opening all year round after Rome hosted the Olympic Games in 1960.

Before its sudden closure in April 2008 the park and its old-fashioned roller coasters, many of them by then quite rickety, underwent extensive renovations and additional safety measures were introduced.

For details see website.