Extending The Largest Aquarium in Europe

It has finally turned in to a hot, sticky, energy-zapping August here. Summer kept us waiting this year, and as is usually the case when that happens, the heat and humidity it finally brought with it are barely tolerable (ask any real Genovese).

Anyway, it's a Saturday evening and after over-filling my stomach I decided to go out for a walk along the water's edge in the very “touristy” part of the port known as the Porto Antico – which is ironic because in its current layout it is rather modern, and probably the newest part of the entire port – the rest being completely off-bounds to most people anyway.

I think the original work to modernize this part of the city was carried out for the 1994 commemoration of the 500^th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the Americas.

Among other things, the Porto Antico area is home to the city's aquarium, which happens to be the largest in Europe, as well as the main tourist attraction, even for Italians from other parts of the country.

As I headed towards the sea, I noticed that there were more people than usual out this evening, and that's when I remembered they were installing the new extension to the aquarium, in the form of a giant dolphin tank.

The aquarium is designed like a tanker ship, parked alongside a pier that sticks out into the heart of the port. This pier is one of my favourite parts of the city, but not because of the aquarium (impressive as it may be).

If you walk straight past the aquarium and keep going until you get to the very end of the pier, you would normally reach this favourite place of mine: a series of three six retired barges that have been transformed into three floating public decks with railings all around the edges and lots of park benches to sit on, soaking up the sun or staring dreamily into the water, while the waves gently rock you.

This is perhaps one of the quietest, most peaceful and relaxing places you will find anywhere in the city although I have never been able to understand why.

Unfortunately, for several months now my beloved barges had been moved off to some remote and inaccessible corner of the port while dredging was carried out to make way for the dolphin tank, which has now been dragged through after it was built in a boatyard somewhere else in the port.

The front of the “ship”, which usually houses a restaurant, a curio shop and another public area with benches, was moved to one side; the dolphin tank attached in the middle; and then the front was added back on again.

I am happy to report that the barges now seem to have returned, although they are still closed off for now and not yet in their normal layout. Some further dredging is being carried out in the same area, so it may be a while before they are actually reinstated, but at least I can see them there.

On the downside, I measured the total length of the new dolphin tank module (a large swimming pool with an enclosed glass corridor along the public side of the deck next to it), and found that it measured roughly 100 of my own paces, walking slowly. At a run it would no doubt take me much less. I can only begin to imagine how many seconds it must take a dolphin to swim from one end to the other.

I will keep my eye on the situation and let you know when the barges are definitively back and just how happy the dolphins are looking once they move in...