This is the largest aquarium in Italy, covering an area of 3100 sq.m, and the second largest in Europe. This remarkable scientific and educational-entertainment center was built in 1992 near the old Genoese harbor at the Ponte Spinola promontory. The construction was timed to the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by the great navigator Christopher Columbus, who was born in Genoa, and in connection with the World Expo “Genoa Expo – 1992”. The impressions from visiting the aquarium become more vivid thanks to the picture of the old port with yachts, modern liners, and ships from the Age of Great Discoveries.
The initial project was developed to showcase the northern regions of the Atlantic, the Ligurian and Caribbean seas, that is, the route taken by Christopher Columbus to the New World. The organizers of the aquarium aimed to recreate the appearance of the marine expanses during Columbus’s time. The second idea was to show the current state of the ocean depths and thus draw the world’s attention to the ecological problems threatening the Atlantic and the world’s oceans. The building of the aquarium, designed by Renzo Piano, resembles a ship ready to be launched.
The interior space was designed by English architects and designers from “Cambridge Seven Associates” based on Peter Chermayeff’s project. They also prepared the exhibition halls for the opening. In 1998, a second ship-like building, 100 meters long, was connected to the main building via a closed corridor in the shape of a bridge.
The exhibition space has a complex structure: it includes 70 small aquariums with inhabitants of the underwater depths. Each aquarium is a unique ecosystem with its own characteristics. The entire complex requires 6 million liters of water to function. The halls of the oceanarium sequentially present to visitors the marine depths of all climate zones of the Earth. Visitors to the aquarium have the opportunity to observe various species of invertebrates, fish, and amphibians. Traveling through the halls, one can see sharks and jellyfish, caimans and piranhas, dolphins and manatees, penguins, turtles, seals, and other marine inhabitants. All parts of the exhibition are characterized by significant volume and not only represent marine inhabitants but also allow for a detailed examination of the ocean floor, reefs and corals, various species of algae, as well as the above-water world and exotic plants. The journey of the oceanarium’s guests through the marine depths is accompanied by music, and the lighting of each sector is skillfully selected. The Genoa Aquarium is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is the coordinator of the international project “Aqua Ring EU project”. At the Genoa Aquarium, one can see amazing show programs: a dolphin performance, during which the audience is at the glass and observes the show, the work of dolphins and trainers as if “from the inside”; feeding of underwater inhabitants; a touch pool where visitors can stroke the rays. Children can visit the “FishMaking” hall, where they can independently model an unusual fish and send it swimming in a virtual aquarium.
