This year, the battle among Italy’s most popular amusement parks reaches its second round – at least when it comes down to roller coasters. In 2011, Gardaland tried to knock out its competitor Mirabilandia situated in Ravenna, around two hours away by car, with the quite tamed predator “Raptor” built by Bolliger & Mabillard. Mirabilandia queered its rival’s pitch with “Katun” and “iSpeed” being, without a doubt, the best coasters of the country.

Although Gardaland’s try is already considered to be failed pitifully, Mirabilandia will throw a new roller coaster, called “Divertical”, into the bargain in time for the upcoming season. To be more precise, this attraction of the company Intamin is a water coaster towering 60 metres that has already set Italian’s new altitude record off hand. At first, the vehicles launching ten people go up on a vertical lift before speeding down to a Splash Zone at a top speed of 110 kilometres per hour followed by a longer roller coaster ride before they are ultimately heading to the water for the second time.

Concerning the route, it will surely not win the highest prize of innovation. Anyway, its uniqueness definitely lies in its combination of the thrilling height and the marvellous view of the nearby Mediterranean Sea. Even though there will be less hope of a stunning classification by themes, it is certain that the construction as a whole will turn out to be exciting. It is to be expected that visitors will not only have ‘splashtastic fun’ riding “Divertical”, but also leave more or less wet – which does not necessarily go without saying thinking of other water coasters. Therefore, it is advisable to bring bathing clothes to Mirabilandia, which is often done anyway, because the neighbouring water park appeals to many visitors.

“Divertical” shapes in conjunction with the launched coaster “iSpeed” a themed area based on top speeds in sport – one ride is about Formula One and the other about speedboats. Mirabilandia’s newest attraction of around 20 million Euro may bask in the glory of being “the highest water coaster of the world” measuring 700 metres in height. “Divertical”, “iSpeed” and the majestic inverted coaster “Katun” could easily be described as an action triumvirate of Mirabilandia, leaving Gardaland without any chance of catching up – especially in the eyes of roller coaster enthusiasts.