Description of the attraction
Genoa Aquarium is the largest aquarium in Italy and the second largest in Europe. Located in the old harbor of Genoa on the Ponte Spinola promontory, it covers an area of 3100 sq. M. and is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. More than 1.2 million people visit it annually!
The construction of the aquarium was timed to coincide with the International Exhibition "Genoa Expo'92", which in turn was organized as part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by the most famous native of the city, Christopher Columbus. At that time, it was the second largest aquarium in the world.
The building of the aquarium was designed by the architect Renzo Piano. Some say it looks like a ship ready to go to sea. The interior decoration was done by Peter Schermayef, who was also responsible for the preparation of the initial exhibits. In 1998, to increase the exhibition space, a 100-meter ship was attached to the aquarium, connected to the main building by a covered walkway.
The original concept of the aquarium was to show viewers the underwater world of the Ligurian Sea, North Atlantic and Caribbean reefs from two points of view: how it was five centuries ago during the voyage of Columbus, and what it has become in our time.
Today the aquarium consists of 70 tanks with a total volume of 6 million liters, which are home to an incredible variety of fish, reptiles and invertebrates. The most popular inhabitants of the aquarium are certainly dolphins, sharks, seals and turtles. It conducts scientific research, implements the "AquaRing EU project" and interactive training on-line courses.
