AKA The Genoa Aquarium
We had heard for years about the Genoa Aquarium (L’Acquario di Genoa), which isn’t surprising at it is regularly named in the top ten for world aquariums. This summer, we finally gave it a whirl. Wow. Enormous complex featuring a variety of specimens, many viewable at different levels of the tanks. The closest US comparisons I have experienced are the Shedd in Chicago and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. The facility itself was designed by the renowned Italian architect, and local son, Renzo Piano. It boasts over 100,000 square feet of exhibit space featuring 400 species.
The recommended visit is around two and a half hours although we spent three between breaks and my toddler’s vast enthusiasm for fish (thanks, in part, to Finding Nemo and Dory movies). The museum path is guided so there isn’t the opportunity for much deviation although spots along the way allow for breaks. Some tanks are revisited at different levels providing a second chance to view specimens or to see the biosphere from a different point of view.
You enter into a large theater space with images of ocean life projected onto the surrounding walls. From here, you will start your tour beginning with an amazing circular aquarium housing moray eels. Seemingly endless exhibits follow - dolphins, rays, penguins, jellies, manatees, sharks, you name it, it seems to appear at the Genoa Aquarium, Initially planned as a Old World meets New World theme based on Columbus, the aquarium has grown far beyond these bounds including many species and areas of the globe. Outside of whales, it is hard to name a group that this collection is missing.
A map was hard to track down, even at the museum, but THIS ONE from 2018 is still pretty accurate and will give you a fairly good idea of how the visit will progress. There is still a touch pool with skates accessible for viewing, but currently, it is closed due to Covid restrictions with no scheduled reopening date. While you cannot interact with the animals on site, you can check the aquarium site or request a feeding timeable to see specialists and specimens in action. We got to see the manatee feeding and it was really cool to watch them scoop up vegetagion and move about.
I strongly recommended booking ahead. The aquarium has introduced variable pricing - for the best prices, book well in advance at off-peak times on off-peak days. Tickets included entry windows. The facility can get quite crowded at midday - entering first thing or late afternoons help reduce the crowds. There are several levels of tickets including a biosphere and skylift. As some of us get motion sickness, we skipped the panoramic lift over Genoa. Keep in mind that it is not air conditioned and in the summer, Genoa can be quite warm. We also passed on the biosphere as it has different opening hours from the aquarium and we wanted to visit first thing in the morning, before the biosphera was open.There is also a butterfly exhibit at the aquarium that is currently under renovation. It is not included in the ticket, but can be purchased along the route when open.
Disability Considerations
All parts of the aquarium are accessible by elevator. There can be waits for the elevator during peak times so that is something to keep in mind. One caregiver gets in free with a disabled person. This is technically for EU blue cards, but you can contact the museum ahead of time to provide documentation from other countries.
The aquarium has low lights and flash on cameras is prohibited so those with light sensitivities shouldn’t have too many areas of concern. It can, however, get noisy so if your child has auditory triggers, I strongly recommend headphones.
About halfway through, there is a gift shop, cafe, and access to the deck and picnic area. This was a perfectly timed break for our toddler and she got to blow off some steam running in circles on the deck, jumping, and singing. There are a row of individual tank exhibits in the second half of the visit (starting with Finding Nemo) and ending with Christopher Columbus. Immediately after the Columbus infographic is an emergency exit stairwell. Its softly lit with few people and has stairs for jumping. Perfect place for a sensory break.
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