The 6 Best Zoos & Aquariums in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

Parco Zoo Punta Verde is a privately run zoo and consequently receives no public funds. Its revenue is derived solely from its entrance fees. Parco Zoo Punta Verde’s mission is founded on four key points: Education of the public to raise awareness and sensitivity about animals and the environment, with targeted educational programs aimed at the general public and schools of all types and levels. Conservation of endangered species through in situ and ex situ programmes. The zoo’s visitors are active participants in its awareness and fundraising campaigns that allow endangered species to be protected in their natural habitats while offering the local populations opportunities for sustainable development. Research via partnerships with organizations such as universities, museums and scientific institutions in general. And last, but not least, the excitement of a day out for adults and children alike, in a pleasant setting that brings them into contact with nature, thus helping to respect it. Visiting a modern zoo means ensuring a future for nature, thanks to all the ventures aimed at preserving its delicate balance. Parco Zoo Punta Verde covers an area of 100,000 square metres in a loop of the Tagliamento river, in the north-western part of the Lignano peninsula, and is home to over 1,000 animals of around 200 species of mammals, birds and reptiles. The zoo is open from March to November; opening hours can be found on the official website

Open from the 2nd Sunday of March until the 1st of November. Closed in wintertime. A place for nature lovers where to spend a wonderful day in total relax and carefree. The storks and ibises (our stars) and other feathered and furry friends are awaiting for you!

The Marine Aquarium of the City of Trieste dates back to 1933, a legacy from Habsburg times and the successor to the Sant’Andrea Marine Zoological Centre (1875 – 1915) where prominent scholars such as Sigmund Freud studied. The project was conceived by the zoologist Giuseppe Müller, who, at the time, was director of the Trieste Municipal Natural History Museum and the Trieste Aquarium remains one of the City’s leading scientific museums. The Aquarium of Trieste is located in a privileged position facing out to sea and the technical layout reflects the building’s original plan with water being collected directly from the sea at the end of the pier and pumped up to 18 m (almost 60 feet) in the Clock Tower from where it is piped to the tanks. The architectural layout of the building, largely reflecting its original plan, does not allow for the large tanks found in modern aquariums and each tank, down corridors and past columns, presents a specific theme or story on marine animal and plant life, species at risk and fishing techniques, particularly those typical of the Adriatic Sea, an enfilade of mussel farms, submerged artificial barriers, wrecks and port settings, reefs, rocks and sand on the bottom of the sea, together with a deep-sea scenario in a 10,000-litre octagonal tank that is home to sharks and rays from the Gulf of Trieste. The Marine Aquarium of the City of Trieste offers examples of exotic fish and coral reef species, but mainly presents local marine fauna, often more familiar as a line on a menu or for sale at a fishmonger’s. The upper floor is home to a reptile house where several snakes, lizards, amphibians and tortoises can be admired. Trieste - located between the sea and the karst plateau – has a long tradition of studies on vipers, reptiles and pond fauna begun by Giuseppe Müller, who started the Aquarium project. Local species are at the heart of the display, along with unusual exotic animals such as iguanas, pythons and boas that have been rescued after being abandoned, abused or let loose in and around the city. Next to traditional terrariums, where one can observe almost all species of vipers and snakes present in North-eastern Italy, there is a reconstructed karstic pond where the loudly-croaking frogs reproduce regularly.