The Italy Pavilion is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

-themed

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

that is part of the

World Showcase Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

, within

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

in Orlando, Florida,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Its location is between the

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

pavilion and The American Adventure.

Layout

The Italy Pavilion features a plaza surrounded by a collection of buildings evocative of Venetian, Florentine, and Roman architecture. Venetian architecture is represented by a re-creation of St Mark's Campanile (bell tower) with the La Gemma Elegante shop representing a replica of the Doge's Palace. The pavilion's design is inspired by other hallmarks of Italian architecture, such as the

Columns of San Marco and San Todaro Columns of San Marco and San Teodoro are two columns in Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy. They comprise the ''Column of the Lion'' and the ''Column of San Todaro''. The sculpture ''Lion of Venice The Lion of Venice is an ancient bronze sculpt ...

, the

Ponte della Paglia Ponte della Paglia is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The current structure dates from 1847, and the original structure was built in 1360. The original structure was the oldest stone bridge in Venice. The name of the bridge is understood to come from bo ...

, Neptune Fountain (reminiscent of Rome's

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain ( it, Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing high and wide, it is the lar ...

) and the Il Bel Cristallo shop (meant to resemble the exterior of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

). There are also small shops selling Italian goods, such as candy, household items, perfumes and wine. Venetian Mask Artisans from Balocoloc in Venice, Italy have also been featured in this Pavilion since 2001, performing live painting throughout the day and showcasing their authentic handmade masks. Musicians, clowns, and acting troupes often appear in the piazza throughout the day. The original plans for the pavilion called for an expansion that would be built in Epcot's "Phase II" of construction, thus leaving a wall with nothing behind it at the rear of the pavilion. The expansion would have included a gondola dark ride and a Roman ruins walk-through. When "Phase II" was canceled, the pavilion was left incomplete. However, a restaurant by the name of ''Via Napoli'', designed by the Florentine architects Stefano Nardini and Raffaella Melucci, opened under the Patina Restaurant Group in 2010, and brought the pavilion its long-awaited completion. It features Florentine architecture and authentic Neapolitan cuisine. The water used to make pizza dough is imported from Pennsylvania to simulate authentic Neapolitan dough. Via Napoli's three wood-burning ovens pay tribute to the three active volcanoes in Italy: Etna, Vesuvio, and Stromboli. To do this, each of the three ovens are sculpted in the shape of the face of the god that their corresponding volcano is named after. The long communal table in the center of the room was built in Florence and features hand painted tiles depicting iconic monuments in Italy. Other notable features of Via Napoli are its high and vaulted ceilings, imported ceramics, and blown glass, and the abundance of windows that flood the establishment with natural light.

Service

Dining

* Tutto Italia Ristorante's (formerly Ristorante Alfredo) menu is curated by chef

Joachim Splichal Joachim Splichal is a celebrity chef based in Los Angeles, California. In 1991, he was declared "Best California Chef" by the James Beard Foundation. Four years later in 1995, he was inducted into their "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America". Spl ...

. The restaurant is bedecked in

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s, frescos, and a

Carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...

piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

. *Tutto Gusto (Wine Cellar) * Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante's menu is curated by chef

. The restaurant was inspired by the dining/architecture trademarks of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, with the house speciality being

Neapolitan pizza Neapolitan pizza (), also known as Naples-style pizza, is a style of pizza made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The tomatoes must be either San Marzano tomatoes or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio, which grow on the volcanic plains t ...

. The restaurant trio of

brick oven A masonry oven, colloquially known as a brick oven or stone oven, is an oven consisting of a baking chamber made of fireproof brick, concrete, stone, clay (clay oven), or cob (cob oven). Though traditionally wood-fired, coal-fired ovens were c ...

s are named

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma- stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...

, Etna, and Stromboli.

Future

* La Gelateria

Shopping

* Il Bel Cristallo * La Bottega Italiana * Enoteca Castello * La Gemma Elegante

Entertainment

* Sergio, a comedic juggler * Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro, a flag throwing show performed by authentic artists from

Sansepolcro Sansepolcro, formerly Borgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town and ''comune'' founded in the 11th century, located in the Italian Province of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region of Tuscany. Situated on the upper reaches of the Tiber river, the town i ...

, Italy (since October 2014)

Former attractions

The original table-service restaurant in the pavilion, L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante, closed in the summer of 2007. The restaurant space has been acquired by the Patina Restaurant Group, which has re-launched it as Tutto Italia.

Gallery

File:Italy Epcot Panarama.JPG, Panorama File:EpcotItalyDoge.JPG, Venice's Doge's palace and campanile File:Epcotitaly3.jpg, Tutto Italia File:Epcotitaly4.jpg, File:Il Bel Cristallo at Epcot.jpg, Il Bel Cristallo File:Epcot Italy.JPG

References

External links

Walt Disney World Resort - Italy PavilionItaly Fact Sheet

Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro's Official Website
{{Epcot Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Epcot Italian-American culture in Florida World Showcase 1982 establishments in Florida