Museo di zoologia adriatica Giuseppe Olivi

About the museum

The museum holds the most important historic collection of marine animals of the Adriatic, the result of research carried out over decades between the second half of the 19th century and 1943. This faunal heritage, which reached Chioggia after a journey in stages along the shores of the Adriatic, was acquired by the University of Padua and was first housed at the Stazione Idrobiologica Umberto D'Ancona and then in the rooms of Palazzo Grassi. It is named after Giuseppe Olivi, a naturalist from Chioggia regarded as one of the fathers of modern zoology.

The venue is Palazzo Grassi, an 18th-century building on the foundations of the Canal Vena, designed at the start of the 18th century by the architect Andrea Tirali for the Grassi family, wealthy merchants of Chioggia. The museum belongs to the university's Department of Biology.

The exhibition rooms, on the second and third floors, include the room of the elephant shark Olivia, the Collection room with finds from Trieste and Rovigno, the Senses room, the Food Web room, the Fishing Traditions room and an immersive room on the techniques of Chioggia's fishermen.

Highlights

• Olivia, the elephant shark
• Historic collection from Trieste and Rovigno
• Senses room of marine animals
• Fishing Traditions room and immersive room
• Interactive stations with sounds and images
• Housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Grassi

Permanent exhibition

• Le sale espositive del museo – Rooms devoted to the elephant shark, the historic collection from Trieste and Rovigno, the senses of marine animals, the food web and fishing traditions.

Operated by

Università degli Studi di Padova, Dipartimento di Biologia

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for teachers, tourist guides and journalists with a press card, for ICOM members, and for two accompanying adults for every 15 paying participants in the guided tour and educational services. Tickets are bought at the museum ticket office.

Accessibility

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

The museum is fully accessible to people with mobility impairments: the ticket office is on the ground floor, and the rooms on the second and third floors are reached by a lift suitable also for powered wheelchairs. Information can be read and heard on a mobile phone via QR code (Italian, English and German). Toilets on the third floor; the accessible toilet is on the ground floor, and staff should be asked. At present there are no dedicated routes for blind, partially sighted, deaf or cognitively disabled visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly

The guided tour can be adapted to groups with children; the website also offers short videos for young people and children. Strollers admitted.

Getting there & parking

Chioggia is reached via the Strada Statale Romea (SS309), about 60 km from Padua and Venice. From Corso del Popolo the museum can be reached on foot.

Amenities & dining

• Wi-Fi: not available

The museum states that there is no WiFi network for visitors.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit