Porto Antico

Porto Antico brings water, stone, steel, old warehouses and open promenades together on Italy’s historic harbourfront. A glass Biosphere floats at the harbour edge. Renzo Piano’s redevelopment reconnected the old harbour with the city by burying roads and creating a broad esplanade. The Bigo rises like a shipyard crane above Porto Antico. Historic cotton warehouses and former customs buildings now hold libraries, museums, exhibition spaces and cultural venues alongside the docks. The aquarium occupies a pier beside the harbour.

Inside the Biosphere, tropical plants, butterflies and reptiles form a suspended green environment of glass and steel. The Nave Blu extends the aquarium with marine displays. Along the waterfront, museums, child-centred science spaces, festival stages, a swimming pool and boat docks share public space. Millo and former customs buildings retain their harbour presence. Glass and water reflect the layered design, while the elevated motorway remains visible above the harbour skyline. The waterfront keeps industry, conservation and culture together.