The Genoa Aquarium

The aquarium was built for the exhibition of 1992 marking five centuries since Columbus sailed, and it formed part of a larger reworking of Genoa's old harbour by Renzo Piano that turned a closed working dock into public space. The building sits on the water and the route through it is linear, tank after tank, from Mediterranean and Ligurian species through tropical reef to penguins, sharks, manatees and a large pool of bottlenose dolphins. It is the biggest in Italy by volume of water and is heavily geared to families. On the quay alongside, Piano's Biosfera, a glass sphere, holds a small tropical enclosure.

What you actually see

• The dolphin pool - the largest tank, and the most argued-over part of the place.
• The manatees - rarely kept in Europe, and slow enough to watch properly.
• The Mediterranean tanks - local species, at the start of the route.
• The Biosfera - the glass sphere on the quay, with a tropical enclosure inside.

When to go

Open all year. Book a timed slot, because wet weekends and school holidays fill it completely and the queue outside is long. First entry in the morning gives the clearest view of the tanks before school groups arrive. Three to four hours is realistic for the full route without rushing the last third.

Honest expectations

Keeping dolphins in captivity is contested, and if that matters to you this is not your visit. It is expensive, particularly for a family, and the one-way route means going back to a tank is awkward. The Porto Antico around it is a commercial development with the usual chain outlets and prices to match.

Nearby

The old town lanes climb immediately behind the harbour; the coast runs both ways.