Tis Returns to Italy! Day 35: Let Tis Ride the Ferris Wheel!

Published by Lisa Tisdale on

Lisa of Tis Travels is on a three-month journey through Italy, exploring, eating, and living like an Italian. Follow along on “Tis Travels” on Facebook and Instagram!

La Grand Ruota

I have a deep love for Ferris wheels and always take a ride on one anytime I can. One of the hardest decisions in my life is choosing the moving or the stationery car on Deno’s Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, as they both provide wonderful but very different experiences. 

When I first arrived in Italy about a month ago, one of my first stops was Lecco, a town in the southern part of Lake Como. On a past trip to Lecco, after an evening ride I took alone, I had fallen in love with their vintage Ferris wheel, located right on the lake. It is much smaller than Genova’s but what it lacks in stature, it more than makes up in character. 

Recently, when I arrived to take an evening ride, I was denied entry without another passenger for “sicurezza” or security reasons. I was stunned. I teared up and walked off, feeling embarrassed at my reaction and not certain as to why I was being denied a ride. 

It did not take long for my tears to turn into anger. I pulled out my best Italian language skills and returned to the ticket booth. When I asked why I was being denied, I learned someone had jumped and for this reason, single passengers are no longer allowed to ride alone. 

I laughed out loud. 

I thought this decision extreme, especially given the plentiful bridges and mountains one could throw oneself from, but chalked it up to small-town oddities. 

As I tried to put that disappointment behind me, I looked forward to taking a ride on Genova’s Ferris wheel. After I arrived, I chose a night with good weather and walked up to the ticket booth, happily handing over the money for my ticket. 

I was denied.  For “sicurezza”.

What I had thought was simply the misguided, emotional decision of a small town, was actually the decision of possibly an entire nation (TBD). 

What they had, in effect done, was make a single person very sad. Twice. Ferris wheels bring most people great joy. To take that away from a person based on what basically amounts to their relationship status is simple insanity and not at all well thought out.  

I will be preparing a petition for you all to sign so please stand by. 

LET TIS RIDE THE FERRIS WHEEL ITALIA! 

Ciao for now! 


Lisa Tisdale

Lisa Tisdale has traveled all over the world, writing about her experiences and making local contacts. She recently moved to Portugal, to immerse herself in a new life.

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