Acquario Mediterraneo dell'Argentario
Aquarium in Porto Santo Stefano with 17 tanks showing marine habitats of the Costa d'Argento and three permanent exhibitions on shells, diving and cetaceans.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Acquario Mediterraneo dell'Argentario opened on 15 June 2001 on the initiative of the Accademia Mare Ambiente, an association founded in 2000 to promote the marine environment. The Accademia has designed, built and run the aquarium since it opened. It also houses the Centro Didattico di Biologia Marina (Marine Biology Education Centre) of the Municipality of Monte Argentario.
The 17 tanks, seven of them panoramic, hold about 50,000 litres of seawater and recreate the coastal ecosystems between 10 and 50 metres deep: the infralittoral and circalittoral zones and the open-water (pelagic) environment. Hundreds of species live here, including groupers, moray eels, seahorses, octopuses, dogfish and lobsters. There is also a tropical tank with corals and clownfish, set up in 2013.
On the upper floor are three permanent exhibitions: a collection of more than a hundred species of shells from the Mediterranean and other seas; a section on the history of underwater technology, with the diving equipment of Gino Tantulli; and a section on cetaceans and the Santuario Pelagos (the Pelagos marine mammal sanctuary), with bones and skulls recovered from the waters off the Argentario and the Isola del Giglio. Underwater photographs are displayed at the entrance.
Highlights
- 17 tanks holding about 50,000 litres of seawater, seven of them panoramic
- Tropical tank with corals and clownfish
- Permanent shell exhibition with more than a hundred species
- History of underwater technology with diving equipment
- Section on cetaceans and the Santuario Pelagos
Permanent exhibitions
- Vasche dell'acquario – Seventeen tanks with the infralittoral, circalittoral and pelagic habitats of the Argentario sea, plus one tropical tank.
- Mostra delle conchiglie – More than a hundred species of shells from the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Pacific and Red Sea, on the upper floor.
- Storia della tecnologia subacquea e cetacei – 20th-century diving equipment and bones and skulls of cetaceans from the Santuario Pelagos.
- Founded
- 2001
- Operated by
- Accademia Mare Ambiente A.S.D.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2over-65s, children aged 5 to 12, residents and people with disabilities |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 4 · Free for ages 0 to 4; reduced rate for ages 5 to 12. |
| Seniors | €2Reduced rate for over-65s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2Reduced rate for people with disabilities. |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 4 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Workshops and educational activities for children and teenagers, for example “Un pomeriggio da biologo marino” (An afternoon as a marine biologist) in summer 2026.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The Centro Didattico di Biologia Marina offers guided visits with naturalists and marine biologists, and educational programmes for schools. The programme for the 2026–2027 school year is on the website. |
