Il Fortino Stregato (The Haunted Fort) at Parco Ecolandia, Reggio Calabria

Parco Ecolandia · Reggio di Calabria, Costa Viola, Calabria

24 October 2026 – 8 November 2026

A Halloween experience for children and families at Parco Ecolandia in Reggio Calabria, inside the former Forte Gullì in the Arghillà district. “Il Fortino Stregato – Ciò che fa paura, fa davvero paura?” (The Haunted Fort – Is what scares us really scary?) runs over three weekends, 24–25 October, 31 October–1 November and 7–8 November 2026, from 3pm to 6pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays. Each visit lasts about two hours of games, workshops and themed trails. Tickets cost €15 for children aged 3 to 12 and €5 for accompanying adults and teenagers aged 13 and over; places are limited and booking is required.

Dates and opening times over three weekends

Il Fortino Stregato takes over Parco Ecolandia for three consecutive weekends: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, and Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026. According to the park's poster, activities run from 3pm to 6pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

This is not a park you wander around all day: the poster promises “2 hours in the haunted fort”, with limited places and compulsory booking, so it is worth asking what time your session starts when you book. Note for the first weekend: Italy switches back from summer time in the night between Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, something to remember if you have booked for Sunday morning.

What happens inside: games, workshops and mysteries

The theme is the question in the title, “Is what scares us really scary?”: a Halloween designed for children and families, where fears become something to play with. According to the poster, the two hours inside the fort are spent “among games, workshops, emotions and mysteries”.

The programme lists six stops: Ciak... si gira (Lights, camera, action), Chi ha paura del buio (Who's afraid of the dark), Officina mostruosa (Monster workshop), La mostra delle emozioni (The exhibition of emotions), a sensory trail and Le segrete del Fortino Stregato (The dungeons of the Haunted Fort). The park has not published a detailed description of each activity; next to the Ecolandia logo, the poster also carries that of Lelefante Animazione. If you are unsure whether the trail suits very young or easily frightened children, the simplest thing is to ask when booking.

Tickets, family packages and booking

Tickets cost €15 for children aged 3 to 12 and €5 for accompanying adults and teenagers aged 13 and over. The poster also mentions family packages, without a price, so ask the park directly. No rate is given for children under 3.

Places are limited and booking is compulsory. For information and bookings Ecolandia gives the email address info@parcoecolandia.it and the phone number +39 375 890 6999, the same contacts listed on the Parco Ecolandia website. There is no online ticket shop, so it is best to book a few days ahead, especially for the Halloween weekend of Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November.

Parco Ecolandia and the former Forte Gullì

Ecolandia describes itself as a play, technology and environment park. At its heart is the “T. Gullì” military fortress, a 19th-century gun battery that the park's website lists as one of the 23 Umbertine batteries built along the Strait of Messina: it is surrounded on three sides by a moat and still has its parade ground and eight gun emplacements.

The park grew out of an idea from the mid-1990s linked to the EU URBAN programme, which aimed to bring the outskirts closer to the city. Between 1998 and 2001 the fort was restored and an amphitheatre with about 800 seats and landscaped green areas were built, with four themed zones devoted to Air, Fire, Water and Earth, mixing Magna Graecia myths and ecology. Since spring 2011 it has been run by a consortium of local businesses, now Ecolandia scarl Impresa Sociale ETS. From the fort, the park says, the view stretches from Mount Etna to the Aeolian Islands.

Getting to Arghillà and what is nearby

Parco Ecolandia is on Via A. Scopelliti, in the Arghillà area north of central Reggio Calabria (postcode 89135). The park's website places it a few minutes' drive from the port of Villa San Giovanni, where the ferries from Sicily dock, and from the road that climbs into the Aspromonte mountains. The park does not publish information on parking or public transport, so ask about it when you book.

If you want to combine the visit with lunch or dinner in town, our guide to where to eat in Reggio Calabria has addresses; other events in the same weeks, in Reggio and along the Costa Viola, are listed in the events calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When is Il Fortino Stregato 2026?

Over three weekends: 24 and 25 October, 31 October and 1 November, 7 and 8 November 2026. Saturdays from 3pm to 6pm, Sundays from 10am to 6pm.

How much are tickets?

€15 for children aged 3 to 12 and €5 for accompanying adults and teenagers aged 13 and over. Family packages are available; ask the park for the price.

Do I need to book?

Yes, booking is compulsory and places are limited. You can book by emailing info@parcoecolandia.it or calling +39 375 890 6999.

How long does the visit last?

About two hours of games, workshops and themed trails inside the former Forte Gullì.

What age is it for?

The children's ticket covers ages 3 to 12; from 13 upwards you pay the accompanying-person rate. The poster gives no conditions for children under 3, so check with the park.

Where is Parco Ecolandia?

On Via A. Scopelliti, in the grounds of the former Forte Gullì in Arghillà, north of central Reggio Calabria and a few minutes' drive from the port of Villa San Giovanni.

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