Why a Japanese blog recommends visiting Vicenza for Mazinger and Goldrake

About↓ The story: The first Bandai Mazinger ↓  · The collection recommended from Japan   ·  ↓ Inside the robot fortress · Why Italy fell in love with Goldrake ↓ · From giant robots to movie cars ↓ · PLAN YOUR VISIT↓

About

In December 2025, Mondo Japan, the Italian magazine specialising in Japanese anime, manga and pop culture, went to interview an italian man from Vicenza who had built his own fortress for Mazinger, Goldrake, Gundam and the robots of his childhood. His name is Davide Pieropan, and his collection, La Fortezza Anni ’80, occupies a private gallery in Arzignano, in Italy's Vicenza province. Behind the doors are rooms of Japanese robot figures, vintage toys from the 1970s and 1980s, LEGO constructions and restored vehicles inspired by famous films. [1]

The Japanese community has noticed too. In May 2025, a Japanese blog devoted to cultural exchange between Italy and Japan introduced Pieropan's gallery to its readers, sharing videos of his collections and recounting a friend's visit during a free open day. [3]  La Fortezza can be visited by reservation or during special open days, according to its own official video channel. Admission is free and here below you can find the visit details. [2] For anyone travelling through Italy in search of Japanese pop culture, rare robot collectibles or places associated with the international history of anime, this is a highly unusual address.

THE FIRST BANDAI MAZINGER

The story begins with a child who wanted Japanese robot toys but had to make his own creations with LEGO bricks. Davide Pieropan grew up watching the giant robots that became television legends in Italy. In an interview with Mondo Japan, he recalled how, in 2000, the early online marketplace iBazar introduced him to Japanese collectibles that had previously been difficult to find.  He purchased his first Bandai Mazinger figure. It was a modern model, much more affordable than an original vintage toy, and it started a collection that soon filled his house. [1] By 2012, Pieropan needed somewhere bigger. He moved the collection into part of his working premises and personally constructed the display cases, corridors and lighting. 

The name was chosen with the same affection as the exhibits. La Fortezza, “The Fortress”, refers both to the concrete building housing the collection and to the Fortezza delle Scienze, the Science Fortress from Great Mazinger (グレートマジンガー), Pieropan's favourite robot. The fictional headquarters of a Japanese anime had supplied the name for a real collector's gallery in Vicenza.

THE COLLECTION JAPAN DISCOVERED

The Japanese blog's name It is called *Sākuru Nichi I Bunka Kōryūkai* (サークル 日伊文化交流会), which translates to "Japan-Italy Cultural Exchange Circle." It is the blog of a cultural group based in Itabashi, Tokyo, dedicated to the Italian language, culture, and relations between the two countries. ( Original article, May 31, 2025 イタリアの偉大なるアニメグッズコレクター A major Italian collector of anime memorabilia: Davide Pieropan’s gallery, "La Fortezza Anni ’80," in Arzignano.)

The Japanese reaction is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this story. On 31 May 2025, a Japanese blog connected with an Italy Japan cultural exchange circle in Tokyo published an article introducing La Fortezza Anni ’80 and its creator from Vicenza, Davide Pieropan.

The writer was particularly impressed by the extent of the collection, which includes rooms of robot figures, LEGO, restored vehicles and other memorabilia. The article linked to videos dedicated to Mazinger Z, Steel Jeeg, Getter Robo, Grendizer and Gundam. [3] What struck the Japanese writer was also the depth of affection for Japanese animation among Italians who had grown up watching these series.

The article encouraged readers to consider visiting the collection during a trip to northern Italy. That is a fascinating reversal of the usual anime tourism itinerary. Japanese fans regularly visit shops, exhibitions and museums devoted to manga, anime and collectible figures in their own country. Here, one of the attractions is seeing how deeply Japanese robot culture took root in another part of the world.

INSIDE THE ROBOT FORTRESS

The appeal begins with the names. Mazinger Z (マジンガーZ), Great Mazinger (グレートマジンガー), Grendizer (グレンダイザー, known in Italy as Goldrake), Steel Jeeg (鋼鉄ジーグ), Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) and Gundam (ガンダム) appear among the collections documented through La Fortezza's videos and the Japanese cultural exchange blog. There is material devoted to Cyborg 009 and Devilman too. [2][3] For Japanese collectors, two toy categories are particularly interesting. Chōgokin (超合金), meaning “super alloy”, is the famous die cast robot toy line introduced in 1974 with Mazinger Z. Bandai's official Tamashii Nations archive describes its distinctive metal construction, moving parts, projectiles and combining mechanisms. [6] Then there are the Jumbo Machinders (ジャンボマシンダー), the enormous robot figures that appeared in Japan in 1973. At approximately 60 cm tall, they were among the most spectacular robot toys of their generation. [7] Pieropan told Mondo Japan that his oldest objects include large Jumbo robot figures, Micronauts and illustrated books dating back to the 1970s. His collection also reveals an important distinction familiar to serious Japanese toy collectors: vintage originals, later Bandai productions and modern reissues are different kinds of objects, each with their own appeal. Some of his pieces were bought new more than twenty years ago. Others arrived through years of searching, or as gifts from people rediscovering old toys in their attics. [1]

WHY ITALY FELL IN LOVE WITH GOLDRAKE

For a Japanese visitor, the most fascinating question may be why an Italian collector devoted so much of his life to these robots. On 4 April 1978, Rai 2 broadcast the first Italian episode of Atlas UFO Robot, the series known internationally as UFO Robot Grendizer and in Italy as Goldrake. Its arrival profoundly changed children's television in Italy. Rai Libri, in Marco Pellitteri's Goldrake dalla A alla U, identifies the series as a landmark in the arrival of Japanese animation to Italian popular culture. [4] The robots brought unfamiliar visual languages, spectacular mechanical designs and stories about war, sacrifice, responsibility and friendship. Toei Animation's Japanese history of Grendizer explicitly acknowledges the extraordinary success the series achieved in Italy and France. [5] In Italy, children learned the names of Actarus, Alcor, Mazinga, Jeeg and Goldrake, followed their adventures on television, collected the toys and imagined themselves piloting the enormous machines. Pieropan belonged to that generation. La Fortezza offers Japanese travellers an opportunity to see how their country's anime and toys became part of Italian childhood, and how that fascination developed into a major private collection decades later.

FROM GIANT ROBOTS TO MOVIE CARS

There is another surprise beyond the Japanese robot displays. Pieropan also collects and restores vehicles inspired by cinema and popular culture. His projects include a Bianchina inspired by the car driven by Fantozzi, a dune buggy recalling the Italian film Altrimenti ci arrabbiamo! and a Super Mario themed go kart. [1] The vehicles are part of his personal work: he buys old examples, repairs them and recreates the appearance of the screen originals.

Alongside them are LEGO constructions, action figures and memorabilia from other television and film favourites of the 1970s and 1980s. For visitors who know Japanese toys through original Bandai figures, model collecting, retro gaming and anime merchandise, La Fortezza offers the added curiosity of seeing those objects alongside the other popular culture that shaped Italian childhood.

VISIT LA FORTEZZA

CAN YOU VISIT THE MAZINGER COLLECTION IN VICENZA? Yes. La Fortezza Anni ’80 is a private collection that welcomes visitors by prior reservation and during organised open days. Its official YouTube channel states that admission is free. [2] The collection is housed in private working premises, so visits need to be arranged in advance. There are no verified regular museum opening hours.

WHAT CAN YOU SEE? Japanese super robot collections, Bandai figures, vintage toys, large robot models, LEGO displays and vehicles inspired by cinema and television. The exact exhibits available during a visit should be confirmed with the owner.

CAN YOU TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS? La Fortezza publishes extensive videos of its exhibits online. Visitors should confirm the photography policy directly with the collector. 

HOW TO ARRANGE A VISIT Consult the official La Fortezza anni ’80 online channels for the next open day or to establish contact for a private visit.

READ THE ORIGINAL INTERVIEW

Mondo Japan, 13 December 2025 “La Fortezza”: viaggio nel tempo e nei ricordi

www.mondojapan.net/la-fortezza-viaggio-nel-tempo-e-nei-ricordi/

Official video channel: www.youtube.com/@LaFortezza-xm6zp