Opened in 1992 on the occasion of the expo known as Colombiadi, the Genoa Aquarium has been one of the city’s most popular attractions ever since.
With more than 400 species of marine fish and 27 thousand square meters of structure, the building is designed to be a natural habitat for these creatures: the different rooms are purpose-built to mimic the types of environments found in oceans around the world, such as tropical waters, Mediterranean waters, and the seabed.
In this article you will find out what are the main areas you absolutely must see during your visit to the Genoa Aquarium.
Mediterranean pot-bellied seahorses
Seahorses are among the first species you will encounter during your visit to the Aquarium (rooms 2 and 5), small, shy creatures that hide among the vegetation.
The Genoa Aquarium is responsible for monitoring the breeding and conservation of the two Mediterranean species Hippocampus Guttulatus and Hippocampus Hippocampus, but for the past few years a few belly seahorses have also been introduced.
Shark Bay
The Shark Bay (Room 8), especially popular with families and children, offers an opportunity to see the ultimate marine predator up close: the shark.
The Genoa Aquarium is home to a wide variety of shark species, including the popular gray shark, nurse shark, zebra shark, and sawfish, recognizable by their long, serrated rostrum.
Seal Island
On Seal Island (Room 14) you will find several specimens of common seals from the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the North Sea.
You will see seals abandoned in the wild by their mother, but survived through human intervention, but also specimens born in the Aquarium itself.
This room can be visited either from the underwater perspective or from the upper perspective on the second floor of the Aquarium: from the latter it is possible to admire the seals as they come out of the water.
Antarctica Hall
“Cover yourselves, O you who enter!”
When you enter the Antarctica Hall (Room 15), the temperature will seem to drop-a cold climate, and ice-white walled tanks replicate the habitat of the Magellanic and Papua penguin.
As if they were in their Falkland Islands, here you will see them strolling or relaxing in groups, cooling off on the ice shelf or diving off the rocks between swims.
Cetacean Pavilion
Designed by Renzo Piano between the main body of the Aquarium and the Great Blue Ship, the Cetacean Pavilion (room 17) houses bottlenose dolphins, an endangered species.
It includes four open-air pools, from which it is possible to admire these fantastic creatures from both the upper and lower levels, sometimes coming face to face with them.
The upper floor is dedicated to various cetacean species from the Pelagos Sanctuary, the marine triangle that touches the coasts of Italy, France and Monaco.
Downstairs, however, a glassed-in tunnel about 15 meters long offers a thrilling view of dolphins swimming above visitors.
Biodiversity Pavilion
The Biodiversity Pavilion is located inside the Aquarium’s large Blue Ship, and is home to many sea and land creatures.
The touch tank in the first area contains sturgeons and ancient fish: here you can also admire and pet some sturgeon specimens. This will make many children happy!
Continuing on, you enter the tropical area, a coral lagoon that is home to numerous species including the Napoleon fish, zebra shark, and puffer fish.In this area is a reconstruction of a coral reef, flanked by an educational area on coral biology and ecology.
Jellyfish Hall
The jellyfish room (room 34) is one of the most relaxing in the entire Aquarium.
Here you can be transported by the slow, floating movement of jellyfish: divided by species, you can discover the stages of the life cycle of these ancient marine organisms.
Biosphere
The Biosphere is a steel and glass structure designed in 2001 by Renzo Piano: suspended over the sea and in close proximity to the Aquarium, inside is an “urban garden” with more than 150 species of animal and plant organisms from around the world.
You will find birds, turtles and fish, and plants such as the coffee tree and the rubber tree.
Visit Genoa
Dolphins, sharks, seahorses: now that you have found out what to see at the Genoa Aquarium, you can think about discovering the city.
In fact, the Aquarium is not the only attraction in Genoa, as the city is rich in history and culture, monuments and historic buildings such as the Palazzi dei Rolli.
To guide you during your stay, we have written an article on the 10 things to see in Genoa.
