Acquario di Livorno Diacinto Cestoni

About the museum

The aquarium is housed in a historic building on the seafront, next to the Terrazza Mascagni. It was built in 1937 to a design by the engineer Enrico Salvais, with the collaboration of Luigi Pastore; it was destroyed during the Second World War, then rebuilt and reopened to the public. The building is named after Diacinto Cestoni, a 17th-century biologist who studied marine organisms and was the first to recognise that corals and sponges belong to the animal kingdom.

Closed in February 1999, the aquarium was restored from 2007 and reopened on 31 July 2010 under the management of Costa Edutainment. Its location links it to the Costa degli Etruschi, the Tuscan archipelago and the Pelagos Sanctuary for marine mammals.

On the ground floor are the Mediterranean tanks, a tunnel, a touch tank, and tanks devoted to jellyfish and plastic, to green turtles, to kelp and to seahorses; the route ends in the marine archaeological area. On the first floor a reptile house hosts reptiles, amphibians and insects, and from there one climbs to the panoramic terrace. In the hall, an information point of the Osservatorio Toscano per la Biodiversità illustrates the Pelagos Sanctuary and the recovery of sea turtles.

Highlights

• Diacinto Cestoni room with the twelve tanks “The Pearls of the Mediterranean”
• Touch tank and panoramic tunnel
• Green turtles and pot-bellied seahorses
• Reptile house with a leaf-cutter ant nest
• Panoramic terrace over the seafront and the Tuscan archipelago

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso espositivo dell'acquario – Mediterranean tanks, touch tank, reptile house and panoramic terrace, with a marine archaeological area closing the route.

Founded

2010

Operated by

Costa Edutainment S.p.A.

Admission & discounts

Rates valid from 23 June 2026, at the ticket office. Buying tickets online, the price starts at €14 (standard) and €11 (reduced and youth). There are no time slots, and buying online does not allow you to skip the queue.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

In the car park in front of the aquarium, four spaces are reserved for people with disabilities, free for the first 4 hours. A touch tank lets visitors touch some marine animals.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

For children's birthdays aged 4 to 12, guided activities with a cake room are offered (18 to 40 participants, €10 per participant). For schools there is an education department, a classroom and workshops.

Getting there & parking

By car from the A12 or A11 motorway, exit at Livorno, take the Livorno–Civitavecchia expressway to the Livorno Sud exit and follow the direction for the Porto; for satnav, enter Piazzale Pietro Mascagni.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers

There are no refreshment points along the route, and eating is not allowed; next to the aquarium, connected to the building, is the Surfer Joe Diner. Automatic lockers at €1 with no time limit are available, but there is no cloakroom. The gift shop is run by the publisher Sillabe.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit