Italy’s mountainous Lake Maggiore region is known for its sweeping vistas, where water and sky are separated only by century-old beech trees and lemon trees that are often bisected by clouds wafting through their branches. Perched on a hillside above the quaint village of Trarego Viggiona, home to just more than 400 residents, awaits one of the smallest natural attractions in Europe—and that’s just fine with operator Massimiliano Freddi.
“I think I’m one of the tiniest IAAPA members,” says Freddi, often called “Massi” or “Max” by friends. “I’m really thrilled to represent this new constituency of small, family-owned businesses.”
For Freddi, 2025 IAAPA Chairman of the Board, Trarego Viggiona is where his soul is at rest—and at work. As the founder and CEO of Wonderwood, a natural attraction designed for children, Freddi eagerly welcomes families to his homeland.
“I used to come here every summer for almost two months with my grandmother. So, five years ago when we decided to open Wonderwood here, it’s because this is a place that’s dear and near to my heart,” he shares with Funworld while navigating Trarego Viggiona’s cobblestone pathways. Freddi’s great-great-grandmother was born in this village. Located less than two hours northwest of Milan, Italy, Wonderwood offers an escape from urban life. Sure, there are miniature Land Rovers from Longfish Leisure to drive (top speed is 3 kilometers per hour), but the vehicles don’t run on concrete or a rail, rather transverse wet mud puddles positioned below a soaring ropes course above. A new wading pool is designed to satisfy children … and give their parents a place to recline and behold nature. Miniature excavators by SBI Sweden allow young visitors to dig in the sand. Gem mining lets children and adults get their hands wet while sifting for jewels. And there’s even a dog park where man’s best friend can play off leash.
“I really like the vibe dogs create. We saw how the families with dogs were more friendly to each other,” he says of Italian guests who visit Wonderwood with their pooch.
A second attraction, named Wonderwood Green Forrest, sits inside Milan’s new Merlata Bloom shopping mall. Freddi partnered with Silvia Cilembrini, Fabio Leoncini, and Fabrizia Ruggio, from the Italian design studio Green Spirit based in Florence to design a family entertainment center complete with ninja courses, ball pits, soft play areas, and reading nooks.
The path to becoming “The Empowerer” (a word not found in the English dictionary, but created by Funworld and befitting of Freddi) starts early in life, similar to the developmental years of a fictious superhero. The gifted conversationalist will emphasize a point he’s passionate about by adding the phrase “Full stop” to the end of a sentence.
Funworld heard “Full stop” multiple times over the course of three days spent with Freddi, his business and life partner Sebastian Nicolai, and their dog Pan Pan (named after Peter Pan) and saw firsthand how the 2025 IAAPA Chairman of the Board empowers others to be their best self.
A Heart for Attractions
Massimiliano Freddi beat the odds.
“The story of my life starts with bad news: I became an orphan when I was 20 months old,” he shares. “My grandmother Enrica was like a mom to me, and my grandfather Nino my playmate.”
He developed an early love of attractions in the ’80s—thanks in part to Italian television. Each afternoon, cartoon programming packaged around vignettes promoted Gardaland, the theme park in Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy. Freddi became captivated with what he saw. At age 8, his aunt Fernanda took him to the attraction that he identifies with happiness.
“When I visited Gardaland for the first time, I just felt it. It was a crush. I fell in love. It was not about the rides, it was about the atmosphere, the gardens, the songs everywhere, the employees,” he recalls. Yet, his enthusiasm curbed when his subscription to the Gardaland magazine went unfulfilled. So, he called the park every day—for a month—and eventually reached Patrizia Gianfilippi.
“She was the kindest person I’ve ever talked to in my life, full stop. We stayed at the phone for one hour,” he says. That phone call, and subsequent ones, proved life changing. When Freddi again visited the park at age 10, he was given the royal treatment: swag, behind-the-scenes tours, and time spent observing professionals at work.
“That was amazing because that moment changed my childhood. I saw some grown-ups that were different from the ones I knew,” he says candidly.
His relationship with the park continued to blossom as an adolescent. Each spring, Freddi would be invited to media day, where he would be seated next to adult journalists.
“The story still makes me very emotional, because I understand that this was an extraordinary moment because my childhood was not alike the other people’s childhood—but this is the moment where life started to pay back in a way.”
Other adults working in the industry also began to shape the professional he would become.
At age 12, he met Marina Murialdo, the owner of Le Caravelle, a water park in Liguria, Italy. She didn’t send him just the brochures he had requested, but also enclosed complimentary tickets. At that moment, Freddi knew what kind of professional he wanted to become, detailed by an entry in his diary: marketing manager of a park. That drive and determination eventually led to professional roles at Disneyland Paris in marketing and public relations; 10 years at Leolandia as general manager and later vice president of strategic development; and a consultant with TradeLab. In addition to operating Wonderwood today, he is also an adjunct professor at IULM University in Milan.
Meanwhile, a decade ago, Freddi began volunteering for IAAPA. First as a speaker, then teaching marketing at the IAAPA Institute for Attractions Professionals, and later leading the IAAPA EMEA Education Subcommittee. “I wouldn’t have become an entrepreneur if it wasn’t for IAAPA. Whenever I had a doubt, there was always a colleague on the other side of Europe—or the globe—to open the doors to their facility and show me a possible solution. I got so much inspiration from so many professionals, and I still do every time I attend an IAAPA event,” he says.
Empowering Future Generations
Freddi’s character-building experiences with Gardaland and Le Caravelle during his formative years has led to mentoring the young people working for him. Each September, Freddi brings 10 members of WonderTeam (the name given to Wonderwood employees) to IAAPA Expo Europe. The goal? Provide a similar experience akin to his with adults at Gardaland.
“We think it’s a fantastic moment of thank you. Plus, they get exposed to the industry,” he says. “The world is so much bigger than your own facility and your own attraction.”
Members of WonderTeam must attend at least three EDUSessions and are encouraged to meet with suppliers to visualize what additions may be relevant for Wonderwood facilities.
“It’s not me meeting with the suppliers, it’s them. They say at dinner, ‘Hey, we saw this. Why don’t we do that?’ And then they go back to the suppliers and maybe start a negotiation,” Freddi says.
Members of WonderTeam live in a WonderHouse, homes in Trarego Viggiona and Milan dedicated to housing Freddi’s frontline.
“If they are a perfect fit to our team and they come from far away, we tell them, ‘You know what? You don’t need to pay your rent, so it’s free.’”
While there are currently two locations, Freddi says “there’s no two WonderTeams—it’s just one big family.”
Many members of WonderTeam return summer after summer. Sergio Paludetti, 32, has spent the past three summers working at Wonderwood, where Freddi gave him the freedom to create the backstory and develop set pieces centered around gemstone mining from Sandy Creek Mining Company, named Expedition Alps.
“It’s really amazing to work with Massi and Sebastian of this and the narrative I was allowed to create,” Paludetti tells Funworld.
Paludetti first met Freddi when he was a student studying design in Milan. In 2023, he pondered why Wonderwood guests entered through a small hut and not through the attraction’s inviting dining facility adjacent to the car park.
Freddi and Nicolai listened to his idea and then reversed the arrival experience.
“It’s really a big honor. There is trust and I really appreciate that,” Paludetti says. Adults can now grab an expresso or glass of wine upon entry, and gaze at the rest of the menu. There’s no chicken fingers here. Rather, heaping charcuterie boards and gourmet salads.
Paludetti joins other young people in decision-making roles. Erika Manzi was also a student at IULM and now oversees Wonderwood’s guest experience operation.
Giuseppe Celestre began as an intern during the COVID-19 lockdown. Today, he is managing the facilities alongside Freddi and Nicolai.
The original WonderTeam has welcomed several new team members to operate the Milan operation: Cristina Cornioli and Lucio Tamburini previously worked at Oltremare, a marine life park, while Giulia Franco started as an intern at Wonderwood Lago Maggiore and is now based at the Milan attraction.
“We’ve decided to internalize not only theming and development, but also marketing,” Freddi says. “That’s how you keep a tight control over quality and value for money. And if you can keep young talent motivated, they can—and will—act in the guest’s best interest.”
An Eye on Sustainability
Expansion of Wonderwood is tricky.
“We are on a mountain—it’s a protected area. So, whatever you see, we can unscrew it in a way or another and bring it to another place,” Nicolai explains to Funworld. And he would know. Besides being Freddi’s business partner and life partner, Nicolai is also a trained park architect, who shares Freddi’s passion for leisure destinations. In 2015, Nicolai was working for Zamperla when he and Freddi first met at IAAPA Expo Europe in Gothenburg, Sweden. Three years after opening Wonderwood, Nicolai became the mayor of Trarego Viggiona, completing one of his own lifelong dreams.
“When I was a child, I played with Lego City and I was the mayor of my Lego town,” Nicolai recalls. “I fell in love with administration and politics.”
His passion for public service includes serving in Vicenza, Italy, as past president of the city’s Green Cross.
“Being the mayor of a small village is beautiful, because you can really make decisions—you are not in a big city,” he says.
A short walk up a hill from the park reveals a former stable. It’s here where Freddi envisions creating a glamping facility, effectively putting him in the overnight accommodations business.
“When you decide to open something on a mountain, you need to make sure, of course that it can thrive, but it will still respect the near the DNA of the of the place and how heavy it can carry human activities. Full stop,” Freddi says. He is also researching the installation of an alpine coaster.
He’s also ready to further develop Wonderwood’s mall attractions, sharing with Funworld exclusively plans are underway to build two additional indoor facilities in Lake Como and Vicenza, Italy.
As 2025 IAAPA Chairman of the Board, Freddi would like to promote sustainable business practices by supporting future leaders, and his dream would be to create a formal exchange program where professionals would shadow or work at other attractions to gain insight, ideas, and find solutions.
In fact, Paludetti did just that during the summer of 2023 when he wanted to practice English. Freddi connected with Charles Coyle at Emerald Park in Meath, Ireland. Coyle welcomed Paludetti for two months, where he also saw the inside workings of a different operation.
Coming Full Circle
Yet, with just Pan Pan and no children between he and Nicolai, Freddi’s plan is to create a foundation to keep the Wonderwood attractions operating.
“Our idea is to leave this to the community, so it should be respectful of the community,” he says while walking through the meadow that’s slated to become Wonderwood’s future glampground.
“My biggest satisfaction will be if you have 50 people working here—all young people—and that they will want to work here, because this is so different from every other place,” he says.
Yet, for Massimiliano Freddi, his heart will never be far from the village of Trarego Viggiona.
“When I die, I want to be buried here. This is where I feel I belong,” he concludes.
Full Stop.
The Empowerer One-on-One
Massimiliano Freddi along with business and life partner Sebastian Nicolai share thoughts on leadership.
Never to be at a loss of words, IAAPA 2025 Chairman of the Board Massimiliano Freddi is seen as an extrovert. His business and life partner Sebastian Nicolai likes people, but can appear as an introvert. While visiting their attraction in Italy’s Lake Maggiore region, Funworld sat down to gain insight with Freddi and Nicolai as attraction owners—and as a couple who work together.
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How do you combat disappointment?
Massimiliano: “Walt Disney would say, ‘When you wish upon a star,’ but I really am convinced that when you love things and it’s the right moment—because you have done your homework and you’re ready—life bounces back. And if it doesn’t bounce back with the idea you had in mind, it bounces back with an even better thing that you can put in place. ‘No faith; what we make’ is a mantra to me.”
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How do you work together when overcoming a disagreement—not only as business partners—but, also as a couple?
Sebastian: “The first year, there was really an issue—a problem—because we didn’t know how we can work together because we’re together (as a couple). But we found a way: We learned to listen to each other, wait, and not make the decision in that moment.
Massimiliano: “We also have learned that when there is a tough decision, and somebody among the two of us has a strong point on that, there might be a strong why behind that. Sebastian really takes a strong operational position—this is something that I can’t ignore, but I need to embrace. Starting with ‘the why’ is very important. If you understand your why and your why is super clear, the decisions come so much easier. You’ll understand where you are heading.
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You’re known for not holding back, Massi. Can a leader be too transparent?
Massimiliano: “The fish smells from the head; If you are not clear about communication, you need to accept that you have not been clear. You have to take it on yourself, because your employees can only mirror the way that you communicate, right? If you’re not asking yourself, ‘Do they really understand? What’s the point here?’ then it’s your fault. It’s not your team’s fault.”
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How do you allow both the outdoor and indoor Wonderwood properties to be different, but maintain brand synergy?
Sebastian: “We’ve created something different in Milan (indoors). We want children and adults to play together. Within the first 30 seconds adults remove their shoes, they start to play. At Lago Maggiore, we’ve created something similar (outdoors). And families visiting both facilities fall in love with different adventures, but always find the same thread of value and quality.
Scott Fais is the director of global editorial at IAAPA. The six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist enjoys visiting creative attractions of all kinds—and meeting the professionals behind them. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
- This original reporting from IAAPA News first appeared in Funworld magazine. For more stories and videos covering the global attractions industry and to read a digital version of Funworld magazine, click here.
