NEW

TWO LITTLE BUNDLES OF CUTENESS: COME AND MEET THE TWO NEWBORN PENGUINS

Have you ever seen a newborn penguin? Come and admire two of them! 

In the penguin colony at Cattolica Aquarium, two fluffy little heads are already peeking out of the nest! 

The parents are Becchetto and Piumina, two Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti), both born in Cattolica in 2022 and inseparable from the very start: they grew up together, played together, squabbled together — and during the mating season, they formed a new pair.
On 3 and 5 May, their first two chicks were born: an exceptional event, and a double joy.
This is the very first time that the same pair has given birth to two chicks, and with them the colony now has its 8th and 9th chicks born since 2012.

A truly special event
It all begins with the choice of a nest dug amongst the rocks and forty days of shared brooding, during which mum and dad took turns without ever leaving the eggs unattended.
After hatching, the chicks are fed, beakful by beakful, with pre-digested fish, until they are ready to discover the world on their own.

From soft grey to aquatic black
What you see now — if you come to visit them — is the softest moment of all. The two chicks are wrapped in a thick, warm grey down, which protects them as they grow, sheltered by their parents’ bodies.
Within three months, their first moult will take place, followed by their juvenile plumage, and then — around their first year — the black-and-white plumage of the adults,
with their distinctive breast band.
But for now, this soft grey is all theirs

What will they be called?
The two chicks don’t have names yet. The public will choose them — a simple gesture that will bind them forever to those who met them in their very first days of life.

When to see them 
The chicks can already be seen during feeding times: at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm, every day.
 

Who are the Humboldt penguins in the Cattolica colony?  Click here to get to know them one by one. 






 

THE GIANTS’ WRECK – NEW 2026

Nature doesn’t ask for permission. It finds its way, takes up space, and forms ecosystems teeming with life where we see only abandonment.

Once upon a time, there was a shipwreck, abandoned on the seabed. 

Then something extraordinary happened: nature chose it. 
It just happened, as it always does when nature finds an empty space. 
The metal walls become a refuge. The cracks in the hull become dens and passageways. And the Giants of the Sea make their homes in these dens: groupers patrolling their territory, moray eels emerging from the shadows, brightly coloured scorpionfish, and molluscs building shells on the corroded steel. Silent guardians of a world that needs protecting.

Little by little, centimetre by centimetre, the sea has transformed that wreck into something new. 
The Wreck of the Giants at the Cattolica Aquarium is not just a new exhibit but a living ecosystem. 

Beyond the glass, the Mediterranean tells its story.

Come and see your sea through new eyes and discover the place where even children will realise, almost without noticing, that every corner of the sea deserves attention and respect. 





 

Extraordinary meetings

An explosion of life! Visiting the Aquarium means staying with bated breath in front of the thousands of new fish and their phantasmagoria of colors, in the thematic tanks that reproduce the marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean, the tropical seas and the Red Sea, the coral reef and the river courses of fresh water. Venture among the mangroves in search of perfect ecosystems, sure to meet extraordinary creatures in every tank and in every exhibit and to remain in suspense before the miracle of nature.

The renewed Aquarium teems with thousands of new marine and terrestrial life forms, along four breathtaking itineraries.

Mysteries at the bottom of the sea

The strangest creatures on the planet, strange and unknown beings, a 13-meter giant squid. The exhibition ' Abissi, terra aliena ' is the new exhibition scheduled at the Aquarium in the purple entrance. The marine ecosystem is the largest environment on earth. In the oceans, sunlight only penetrates up to 200 meters. Proceeding downwards, the water temperature tends to decrease. The deep sea is therefore an extreme environment, inhabited by a few still unknown organisms. With this exhibition we try to make known the wonders and incredible life forms of the deepest abysses . These species are shaped by pressure from absolute darkness and deep frost, have incredible shapes, seem to belong to an alien and imaginary world .

One night immersed in the blue (temporarily unavailable)

Spend a night among the sharks? At the Cattolica Aquarium you can! You can spend a night in the company of bull sharks , sleeping in front of their large tank. Expert guides will accompany you to discover the Blue route, in an atmosphere of 20,000 leagues under the seas and which can reserve the meeting with strange marine characters. The " One Night with the Sharks " program is aimed at families and adults who want to live a unique and unforgettable experience!



PROGRAM
21.00 Reception at the aquarium ticket office
21.30 - 23.30 Visit the Blue route
23.30 - 08.00 Night in front of the shark tank
8.00 - 8.30 Good morning to the penguins
8.30 - 9.00 Activity / game becomes emperor penguin
9.00 - 9.30 Breakfast at bar # colonia34
9:30 End of the program

To take with you:
sleeping bag / sleeping bag, pillow, pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste; comfortable clothing is recommended

Some information :

• The cost of the program is € 50.00 per person and also includes the entrance to the Aquarium to be used the following day at night.
• Reservations are required
• Minimum number of participants: 15
• Maximum number of participants: 35
• For information and reservations contact the switchboard on 0541 8371

Note:
The overnight stay takes place on simple beach beds raised from the ground.

Everyone to the South Pole

A unique and extraordinary sensory and experiential path. Through this game that surrounds the tank of the Penguins of the Aquarium, in the blue entrance, young and old can understand the difficulties of hatching, the defense from dangers, the difficult conditions in which the chicks of the Emperor Penguins are cared for, complete with an egg to transport and obstacles to face. In full edutainment style, the game will involve visitors in a fun and educational experience, to remember for life. The path includes a large panel that represents all the species of penguins existing in the world, in real size, which allows each child to compare himself with the height of his darlings.