The Aquarium of Genoa A world underwater The Aquarium of Genoa, which today represents one of the city’s almost “historical” landmarks was created for “Expo ‘92”, an initiative celebrating the fifth anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World The project, which included the redevelopment of the entire historical port area was designed by architect Renzo Piano while the interior architecture was the work of American architect Peter Chermayeff. The Aquarium, which boasts more than a million visitors a year (twenty million to-date since its opening), has the largest number of ecosystems in all of Europe. Its primacy and prestige is not confined only to numbers but to the quality of services offered and the continuous renewal of numerous initiatives to promote environmental education, both among various visitors and the many visiting school groups. By raising awareness, providing information and using direct involvement as the adopted method of “edutainment”, this has helped increase interest and combines environmental information with play and fun, encouraging the visitor’s participation and helps them approach this environment and its inhabitants in a responsible way. In addition, extensive research is being carried out in collaboration with various organizations and institutions like the Metropolitan Dolphins project, to name just one, which involves studying the habits of coastal dolphins and the influence of human activities on them.
Among the many actives organised by the Aquarium is an interactive installation “Abyss Lights in the Dark”, a virtual dive down to 4,500 feet to encounter the species which live there. By using real life movies and infrared lighting, the visitor gets to experience the sensation of diving into the abyss and personally interacting with its environment. Then there is the “Night with the Sharks” dedicated to children between 7 and 13: a unique night time experience in which the children can bed-down for the night in front of the shark’s tank after dinner. These and other new, interesting initiatives give a special feel to the Aquarium of Genoa, a true live representation of the sea and its inhabitants.