Wonderwood – Where Every Attraction Tells a Story

We’ve worked with SBI Sweden for four years on Lake Maggiore – their machines became part of our narrative, lived every day by whole families. That’s why we inaugurated a third one at Wonderwood Spina Verde, on Lake Como. […] Wonderwood isn’t a park where you drop your kids off. It’s a park where the adult steps into the game with them. And a mini-excavator proves it better than a thousand words: the child digs, but right beside them is the parent pointing, laughing, taking part. The experience is shared, not delegated.

– Massimiliano Freddi, Founder of Wonderwood

Where Nature and Play Come Together

Hidden among the forests overlooking Italy’s Lake Maggiore, Wonderwood is unlike a traditional amusement park. Instead of filling the landscape with attractions that could exist anywhere, every experience in the adventure park is carefully designed to belong to the place where it stands.

Since 2022, families visiting Wonderwood have been able to operate SBI Sweden’s Mini Digger and Mini Grabber as part of the park’s outdoor adventure experience. In 2026, Wonderwood expanded the concept even further by adding another Mini Digger to its new park, Wonderwood Spina Verde, near Lake Como.

Rather than treating the machines as standalone attractions, Wonderwood has woven them into the park’s overall story and identity.

More Than Just Mini Excavators

For Wonderwood, the excavators are not about construction. They are about participation. As founder Massimiliano Freddi explains, the attractions encourage children and their parents to experience the park together rather than separately. Instead of watching from the sidelines, adults naturally become part of the play.

The park’s philosophy is built around creating experiences that strengthen family interaction, encourage time outdoors and connect visitors with nature. Within that setting, the Mini Digger and Mini Grabber from SBI Sweden become tools for storytelling rather than simple rides.

Designed to Fit the Environment

Wonderwood is built in an area that was once open pasture before nature gradually reclaimed the landscape. Rather than seeing the forest simply as a backdrop, the park celebrates the long tradition of caring for the land and the role people have played in shaping it over generations. By integrating the Mini Digger into this setting, the attraction becomes part of the park’s wider story about the relationship between people and nature. As Massimiliano Freddi explains:

Children who climb aboard aren’t playing construction site. They’re learning an ancient gesture: caring for the land. The same gesture that for generations kept these mountains alive and safe.

Wonderwood has integrated the machines into a beautifully themed woodland setting using natural materials, allowing them to blend naturally into the surrounding landscape.

Children can dig, grab and move natural materials while developing coordination and learning through hands-on play. At the same time, parents often find themselves joining in, making the experience something the whole family shares.

By combining real hydraulic controls with thoughtful theming, the attraction feels like a natural extension of the park rather than a separate activity.

A Concept Worth Expanding

The strongest proof of the attraction’s success came four years later. After seeing how naturally the Mini Digger became part of the Wonderwood adventure park on Lake Maggiore, the team chose to install another Mini Digger at their new Wonderwood Spina Verde park on Lake Como.

As Massimiliano Freddi says:

You don’t add an attraction that’s worked for four years by accident. You add it so the same idea of care can grow alongside a new park.

For SBI Sweden, Wonderwood is a perfect example of how a themed attraction can become much more than just equipment. With the right story and environment, a Mini Digger becomes part of an experience that families remember long after their visit.

In thirty years of attractions I’ve learned one thing: value almost never lies in the object. It lies in the meaning you give it, the story you build around it, and who gets to live it.

Key Takeaways:

Wonderwood has integrated SBI Sweden’s Mini Digger and Mini Grabber into the park’s overall story, creating an attraction that feels like a natural part of the surrounding forest.
By encouraging children and adults to play together, the attractions support Wonderwood’s philosophy of shared family experiences and meaningful outdoor play.
After four successful years at Lake Maggiore, Wonderwood chose to expand the concept by adding another SBI Mini Digger to its new Wonderwood Spina Verde park on Lake Como.

Whether you’re designing a nature park, zoo, family attraction or themed visitor destination, SBI Sweden can help you create attractions that become part of your story—not just part of your park. Contact us to discuss how we can help bring your next attraction to life.

Quick Links:

Visit Wonderwood’s website
Read Massimiliano Freddi’s thoughts behind the Wonderwood Build it concept on LinkedIn
Discover SBI Sweden’s Mini Digger & Grabber
Explore our Kids Construction Zone concept
Contact us