• Liguria

• Marine Protected Areas

• Coasts and Islands

The Virtual Aquarium in Monterosso

The famous and charming itineraries surrounded by nature develop along the coast overhanging the sea, with the possibility to discover and also go along the new underwater trails, diving into the rich waters of the reserve or carrying out a fascinating virtual journey in the silent and mysterious underwater world.

After studying the seabed of the reserve to create a series of itineraries for expert divers, the National Park created in Monterosso the first virtual aquarium of Cinque Terre, entirely dedicated to the seabed of this wonderful stretch of sea. The new structure has been built in the former "Tortuga", a restaurant dug into the live rock of the hill situated between the old village and the new section of the town, in front of the imposing Torre Aurora.

Inside it, the visitor can virtually "dive" into the sea of Cinque Terre while he/she is comfortably sitting in an armchair, to study the habits and evolution of any aquatic species living in the protected area lying within the famous "cetaceans sanctuary", where the occasions to sight striped dolphins, dolphins, and rorqual whale grow year after year.
The images you will see while sitting in front of the video - which at the moment shows only 3D video projections, since it is waiting for the placing of underwater telecameras on the seabed from Montenereo to Mesco - leads us to discover the secrets of this extraordinary seabed. It is amazing, since you will admire a myriad of species like rainbow wrasses, blennies, and gobies, Mediterranean yellowtails, white breams, anchovies, morays, small lobsters, gorgonians, ascidians, posidonia and colored sponges you can usually see only at 15-20 meters of depth.

The virtual aquarium is open every day from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. For information, please call the number 0187/ 817059. Admittance free.